E 

MAN 

QUESTS  IN 

AND  WAR 


A,  COLLINS 


THE  AIR  MAN 


Looping  the  loop  above  New  York 


THE  AIR  MAN 

HIS  CONQUESTS  IN  PEACE  AND  WAR 


BY 
FRANCIS  A.  COLLINS 

'Author  of  "The  Camera  Man,"  "The 
Wireless  Man"  etc. 


ILLUSTRATED  WITH 
PHOTOGRAPHS 


NEW  YORK 

THE  CENTURY  CO. 

1917 


Copyright,  1917.  by 
THE  CENTURY  Co. 


Published,  July,  1917 


TO 

HENRY  WOODHOUSE 


3G7997 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I     LEARNING  TO  FLY 3 

II  NAVIGATING  THE  AIR       ....     30 

III  THE  AERO-SPORTSMAN    ....     54 

IV  AERO-EXPLORATION  AND  ADVENTURE    84 
V  AERIAL  TRANSPORTATION      .      .      .    104 

VI  EMBATTLED  AIR- FLEETS  .      .      .      .133 

VII     AERIAL  BATTERIES 152 

VIII    AIR  DUELS 169 

IX  AMERICAN  AIRMEN  UNDER  FIRE     .    187 

X  THE  CHIVALRY  OF  THE  AIR  .      .      .   204 

XI  AMERICAN  AIR  FORCES                       ,   220 


IX 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Looping  the  loop  above  New  York      Frontispiece 

Writing  against  the  sky,  an  aeroplane  traces 
the  letters  C  A  L  (for  California)  by  a 
series  of  loops 5 

Miss  Ruth  Law  flying  above  the  Statue  of 
Liberty 5 

Almost  a  collision 16 

Looking  down  on  the  German  Aviation 
School  at  Lubeck 21 

Group  of  pupils  in  the  Lubeck  Training 
School 21 

Studying  a  model  aeroplane  at  the  Mineola 
Aviation  School 27 

Instruments  for  navigating  the  air    ...     38 
A  flying  boat  just  rising  from  the  water     .     47 

Looking  down  on  a  cross-roads  "somewhere 
in  France" 58 

One  hundred  miles  an  hour 63 

Bringing  in  a  shark  shot  from  mid-air     .      .     69 

xi 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

An  aeroplane  camera  with  pistol  grip     .      .     80 

A  remarkable  aeroplane  photograph  of  the 
trenches  during  a  battle 80 

Crossing  the  snow-capped  Alps  ....  89 
A  shipwreck  viewed  from  above  .  .  .100 
Looking  down  on  forty  centuries  .  .  .109 

A  passenger  Zeppelin  aloft 120 

Near  view  of  a  Zeppelin's  cabin  .  .  .  .120 
An  American  Aero  Limousine  .  .  .  .129 
Unusual  photograph  of  a  Zeppelin  at  sea  .  135 

Placing  a  bomb  in  position  beneath  an  aero- 
plane         142 

Aiming  an  anti-aircraft  gun 147 

Defending  an  air  attack  at  sea  .  .  .  .  153 
Infantry  repelling  an  air  attack  .  .  .  .  153 

Searchlights  guarding  London  against  Zep- 
pelin raids 159 

A  speedy  British  war  plane 166 

An  air  duelist  preparing  for  action  .  .  .172 
"Landing"  a  Zeppelin 177 

A  Turkish  Aeroplane  Division     .      .      .      .183 
xii 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

The  great  French  air  man  Pegoud  starting 
on  his  last  flight 183 

A  busy  day  in  a  balloon  factory  .  .  .190 
U.  S.  Military  aeroplane  in  Mexico  .  .  .199 

U.  S.  Army  aeroplane  carrying  mail  to  Gen- 
eral Pershing  in  Mexico 199 

Result  of  a  fall  from  a  low  altitude     .      .210 

Above  the  clouds 215 

Looking  astern  from  an  aeroplane  in  flight  .  221 
An  aeroplane  returning  to  its  hangar  .  .221 
Surface  transportation  of  an  aeroplane  .  .  232 
Distributing  literature  by  aeroplane  .  .  .  238 


Xlll 


THE  AIR  MAN 


The  heavens  filled  with  argosies  of  magic  sails; 
Pilots  of  the  purple  twilight  dropping  down  with 
costly  bales. 

Tennyson. 


THE  AIR   MAN 

CHAPTER  I 

LEARNING   TO    FLY 

ANY  ONE  who  has  common-sense  and 
patience  may  learn  to  fly.  In  the  avi- 
ation schools,  a  good  working  knowledge  of 
airmanship  is  ordinarily  gained  in  a  total  of 
four  hundred  minutes  spent  in  the  air,  di- 
vided into  a  score  of  lessons.  The  air  would 
almost  seem  the  natural  element  of  man,  such 
has  been  the  progress  in  flying  during  the 
past  few  years.  With  surprisingly  little  in- 
struction, the  average  pupil  soon  learns  to 
feel  perfectly  at  home  aloft.  Many  find  it 
easier  to  support  themselves  in  the  air  than 
in  the  water.  Gravity  is,  of  course,  a  very 
exacting  taskmaster,  but  under  competent 
instructors  serious  accidents  to-day  are  al- 
most unknown.  The  more  daring  feats  of 

3 


THE  AIR  MAN 

airmanship,  the  loops  and  spirals  practised 
in  air  duels,  come,  of  course,  only  with  long, 
persistent  practice. 

An  instructor  usually  begins  with  a  new 
pupil  much  as  a  mother-bird  teaches  her 
fledgling  to  fly;  by  encouraging  it  to  hop 
about  before  spreading  its  wings.  The  first 
aeroplane  used  for  instruction  is  often  a 
worn-out  machine  that  cannot  possibly  rise, 
known-in  the  slang  of  the  schools  as  a  "taxi" 
or  "lawn-mower."  The  beginner  quickly 
becomes  familiar  with  the  motor  and  con- 
trols, and  accustoms  himself  to  the  noise  of 
the  propellers  when  he  is  set  running  his 
craft  up  and  down  the  aviation  field.  After 
he  has  learned  to  steer  his  aeroplane  in  a 
straight  line,  he  is  promoted  and  allowed  to 
make  short  "hops."  In  some  schools,  con- 
trol of  the  machine  is  taught  in  dummy  aero- 
planes resting  in  a  stationary  position. 

The  pupil  is  entrusted  with  a  somewhat 
better  machine  in  his  next  lessons.  The 
"hops"  do  not  lift  the  aeroplane  more  than 
five  feet,  but  they  give  excellent  practice  in 
rising  and  landing,  and  enable  the  beginner 
to  judge  the  ground.  An  accident  may 

4 


Writing  against  the  sky,  an  aeroplane  traces  the  letters  C  A  L  (for 
California)  by  a  series  of  loops 


.Miss  Ruth  Law  flying  above  the  Statue  of  Liberty 


LEARNING  TO  FLY 

mean  a  smash,  but  the  pilot  at  this  height  is 
comparatively  safe.  Progress  is  more  rapid 
after  this  stage.  In  the  next  class  a  pupil 
is  set  to  flying  "straights"  and  learns  to  rise 
to  a  height  of  twenty-five  or  thirty  feet,  re- 
maining in  the  air  for  half  a  mile.  He  is 
now  set  to  flying  in  circles,  going  up  three 
hundred  or  four  hundred  feet.  His  landing 
exercises  play  an  important  part  in  this  in- 
struction, and  he  is  required  to  come  down 
on  a  fixed  mark.  As  the  aviator  gains  con- 
fidence, the  flights  are  made  in  the  figure 
eight  style,  he  is  taught  to  land  with  his  en- 
gine cut  off,  and  other  feats  required  of  an 
air-pilot. 

In  the  French  system,  the  pupil  is  first 
taken  aloft  for  several  flights  of  five  min- 
utes each  and  taught  details  of  control  while 
in  the  air.  After  he  has  become  familiar 
with  the  machine,  he  is  allowed  to  handle  the 
controls  and  work  the  pedals.  The  aero- 
planes used  for  instruction  are  usually 
equipped  with  dual  control,  or  with  steering 
apparatus  and  engine  connections  in  dupli- 
cate. The  beginner  holds  these  controls  and 
his  feet  rest  on  pedals  which  duplicate  every 

7 


THE  AIR  MAN 

movement  made  by  the  instructor.  In  a 
few  hours  the  pupil  learns  to  do  the  right 
thing  almost  instinctively;  he  is  soon  direct- 
ing the  machine  aloft,  while  the  instructor 
merely  checks  his  movements.  There  are 
several  systems  of  instruction  employed  to- 
day that  variously  combine  these  two  meth- 
ods. 

Time  may  be  measured  in  months  rather 
than  years  since  the  spiral  and  loop  were 
curiosities ;  while  a  pilot  who  attempted  them 
was  considered  daring  to  the  point  of  folly. 
Many  lives  were  lost  in  attempting  such 
flights.  So  rapid  has  been  the  advance  in 
airmanship,  however,  that  to-day  these  feats 
are  required  in  the  best  schools  of  aviation. 
The  air  man  who  can  descend  from  an  alti- 
tude of  a  mile  or  more  in  a  vertical  spiral,  de- 
scribing an  air-course  like  a  corkscrew;  or 
loop-the-loop,  not  once  but  several  times  in 
quick  succession,  is  considered  a  safer  pilot 
because  of  his  skill  for  ordinary  cross-coun- 
try flights.  Let  him  suddenly  run  into  a 
storm,  be  tossed  about  by  contrary  air-cur- 
rents, or  find  himself  with  a  stalled  engine  at 
a  great  altitude,  and  his  superior  airmanship 

8 


LEARNING  TO  FLY 

makes  him  master  of  the  situation.  In 
aerial  warfare,  of  course,  the  airman's  life 
will  depend  on  his  skill  in  dodging  an  antago- 
nist to  gain  a  better  position  to  bring  his  bat- 
tery into  action. 

To  obtain  a  license  in  America,  the  pilot 
must  fly  his  machine  before  representatives 
of  the  Aero  Club. 

The  candidates  must  pass  the  following 
tests  before  being  granted  a  certificate: 

SPHERICAL  BALLOON  PILOT'S  CERTIFICATE 

(A)  Five  ascensions  without  any  condi- 
tions. 

( B )  An  ascension  of  one  hour's  minimum 
duration  undertaken  by  the  candidate  alone. 

(C)  A   night   ascension   of   two   hours' 
minimum  duration  comprised  between  the 
setting  and  the  rising  of  the  sun. 

DIRIGIBLE  BALLOON  PILOT'S  CERTIFICATE 

The  candidates  must  be  21  years  of  age. 
They  must  hold  a  spherical  balloon  pilot's 
certificate  and  furnish  proof  of  having  made 
twenty  (20)  flights  in  a  dirigible  balloon  at 
different  dates,  and  must  also  undergo  a 

9 


THE  AIR  MAN 

technical  examination.  In  case,  however, 
the  candidate  does  not  already  possess  a 
spherical  balloon  certificate,  he  must  have 
made  twenty-five  (25)  ascensions  in  dirigi- 
bles before  he  can  apply  for  a  certificate. 
The  application  for  the  certificate  must  be 
countersigned  by  two  dirigible  balloon  pilots, 
who  have  been  present  at  at  least  three  of 
the  departures  and  landings  of  the  candi- 
date. 

AVIATOR'S  CERTIFICATE 

i.  Candidates  must  accomplish  the  three 
following  tests,  each  being  a  separate  flight : 
'  A  and  B.  Two  distance  flights,  consisting 
of  at  least  5  kilometers  (16,404  feet)  each  in 
a  closed  circuit,  without  touching  the  ground 
or  water,  the  distance  to  be  measured  as  de- 
scribed below. 

C.  One  altitude  flight,  during  which  a 
height  of  at  least  100  meters  (328  feet) 
above  the  point  of  departure  must  be  at- 
tained; the  descent  to  be  made  from  that 
height  with  the  motor  cut  off.  A  barograph 
must  be  carried  on  the  aeroplane  in  the  alti- 
tude flight.  The  landing  must  be  made  in 

10 


LEARNING  TO  FLY 

view  of  the  observers,  without  restarting 
the  motor. 

2.  The  candidate  must  be  alone  in  the  air- 
craft during  the  three  tests. 

3.  Starting  from  and  landing  on  the  water 
is  only  permitted  in  one  of  the  tests  A  and  B. 

4.  The  course  on  which  the  aviator  accom- 
plishes tests  A  and  B  must  be  marked  out 
by  two  posts  or  buoys  situated  not  more 
than  500  meters  (547  yards)  apart. 

5.  The  turns  round  the  posts  or  buoys 
must  be  made  alternately  to  the  right  and 
to  the  left  so  that  the  flight  will  consist  of 
an  uninterrupted  series  of  figures  of  8. 

6.  The  distance  flown  shall  be  reckoned 
as  if  in  a  straight  line  between  the  two  posts 
or  buoys. 

7.  The   landing   after   the   two   distance 
flights  in  tests  A  and  B  shall  be  made : 

(a)  By  stopping  the  motor  at  or  before 
the    moment    of    touching    the    ground    or 
water ; 

(b)  By  bringing  the  aircraft  to  rest  not 
more  than  50  meters  ( 164  feet)  from  a  point 
indicated  previously  by  the  candidate. 

8.  All  landings  must  be  made  in  a  normal 

ii 


THE  AIR  MAN 

manner,  and  the  observers  must  report  any 
irregularities. 

HYDROAEROPLANE  PILOT'S  CERTIFICATE 

The  tests  to  be  successfully  accomplished 
by  candidates  for  this  certificate  are  the 
same  as  those  for  an  aviator's  certificate,  ex- 
cept that  starting  from  and  landing  on  the 
water  is  permitted  for  all  of  the  tests. 

Instructors  in  the  French  aviation  schools 
pay  special  attention  to  volplaning  from 
great  altitudes  and  to  turning  or  banking. 
Even  after  a  student  has  learned  to  execute 
complicated  manceuvers  high  in  air,  he  must 
fly  for  several  weeks  before  allowed  to  try 
for  his  brevet  as  a  military  pilot. 

Final  examinations  are  most  exacting. 
The  applicant  must  rise  twice  to  an  altitude 
of  six  thousand  feet,  and  spend  an  hour  at  a 
ten-thousand-foot  altitude.  After  passing 
this  test  he  must  fly  over  a  triangular  course 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  landing  at 
each  corner  of  the  triangle.  The  final  test 
consists  of  ascending  to  a  height  of  one  thou- 
sand five  hundred  feet,  cutting  off  all  power, 
and  descending  in  a  spiral  to  a  fixed  point. 

12 


LEARNING  TO  FLY 

Students  in  a  modern  aviation  school  well 
may  dread  their  "exams,"  nor  would  it  be 
considered  much  of  a  disgrace  to  "flunk" 
them. 

Examinations  for  pilot  licenses  in  the 
army  and  navy  of  the  United  States  are  no 
less  "stiff."  An  elaborate  course  of  ad- 
vanced training  for  American  air  men  has 
been  planned,  which  will  be  carried  out  in  the 
near  future.  The  army  air  men  will  be 
drilled  in  "spotting"  artillery  fire,  wireless 
signaling,  cross-country  flying,  scouting  and 
air  dueling.  In  the  navy,  this  advanced 
work  will  include  bomb-dropping,  aero  gun- 
nery, "spotting"  the  fall  of  shots,  launching 
planes  from  ships,  and  ocean  flying. 

The  training  received  at  the  Signal  Corps 
Aviation  School  at  North  Island,  San  Diego 
Harbor,  affords  an  excellent  illustration  of 
our  progress  in  this  field.  The  island,  com- 
prising twelve  thousand  acres,  is  considered 
by  experts  the  finest  base  in  the  world — both 
for  land  and  water  flying.  Here,  at  the 
present  writing,  are  upwards  of  two  hundred 
and  fifty  enlisted  men  with  more  than  fifty 
officers.  During  the  first  half  of  1914,  four 


THE  AIR  MAN 

thousand  flights  were  made  at  this  school, 
with  a  total  time  aloft  of  one  thousand  eight 
hundred  hours.  The  air  mileage  was  equiv- 
alent to  more  than  four  times  the  circum- 
ference of  the  globe.  This  remarkable  rec- 
ord was  achieved  without  a  single  serious 
accident. 

Before  venturing  within  range  of  battery 
fire,  the  army  air  man  must  make  himself 
familiar  with  the  theory  of  trajectories  of 
all  types  of  guns.  Even  when  flying  at  high 
altitudes,  he  is  in  constant  danger  of  being 
brought  down  by  a  chance  shot  from  friend 
or  foe.  Modern  artillery  fire  is  extremely 
complicated,  and  the  pilot  must  have  its 
mathematics  at  his  finger  tips,  if  he  hopes  to 
dodge  it.  He  must  be  able  to  judge  accu- 
rately the  parabolas  of  shells  from  every  va- 
riety of  cannon  and  of  every  bore.  A  very 
heavy  shell,  for  instance,  travels  in  a  great 
arc  until  almost  directly  above  its  target, 
when  it  falls  almost  vertically.  Extreme 
long-range  guns,  on  the  other  hand,  travel 
in  a  high  parabola.  An  entirely  different 
problem  has  to  be  worked  out  while  dodging 
shrapnel  or  anti-aircraft  guns.  A  skilful 

14 


LEARNING  TO  FLY 

airman,  after  studying  the  position  of  bat- 
teries beneath  him  and  the  nature  of  their 
fire,  can  actually  thread  his  way  with  com- 
parative safety  amid  a  rain  of  shells. 

A  surprisingly  small  proportion  of  acci- 
dents to  air  -men  are  fatal.  It  is  only  falls 
from  great  altitudes  that  the  public  hears 
about.  The  commonest  form  of  accident 
among  air  men  are  injuries  to  the  feet.  A 
miscalculation  in  landing  or  an  unexpected 
air-current  may  pitch  the  aviator  out,  but 
the  fall  is  likely  to  be  for  only  a  few  feet. 
He  always  is  ready  to  jump,  and  usually  a 
sprained  or  broken  ankle  is  his  worst  injury. 
Incidentally,  the  engine  is  usually  placed  as 
far  forward  as  possible  in  order  to  prevent 
air  men  from  being  crushed  in  just  such  acci- 
dents. Since  an  air  man  depends  less  upon 
his  feet  than  his  hands,  these  accidents  do 
not  often  incapacitate  him. 

Many  air  men  suffer  from  injuries  to  the 
neck,  caused,  for  the  most  part,  by  collision 
with  the  ground.  To  guard  against  this  as 
much  as  possible,  the  air  man,  nowadays,  is 
usually  fastened  to  his  seat  by  an  abdominal 
belt.  This  keeps  him  from  slipping  forward 

17 


THE  AIR  MAN 

at  an  unexpected  impact.  Some  serious  ac- 
cidents have  been  caused  by  an  air  man's  head 
being  thrown  violently  forward  on  collision 
with  the  ground  and  striking  against  the  su- 
perstructure of  the  aeroplane.  Since  an 
aeroplane  travels  much  faster  than  any  other 
vehicle,  the  percentage  of  accidents  of  all 
sorts  is  naturally  high.  The  eyes  are  rarely 
injured,  except  by  exposure  to  extreme  cold. 
Frost-bites  are  comparatively  common.  The 
gas  used  in  the  engine  often  produces  head- 
aches and  nausea.  Many  air  men  especially 
dread  to  sneeze  at  a  critical  moment.  A 
number  of  bad  accidents  have  been  attributed 
to  a  sudden  sneezing  fit  which  caused  the  air 
man  momentarily  to  lose  control  of  his  ma- 
chine. 

For  more  difficult  feats  of  airmanship 
which  qualify  the  brilliant  fighting  pilots,  the 
aviator  must  be  born,  not  made.  To  with- 
stand the  strain  of  long  flights  and,  espe- 
cially, of  air  battles,  a  man  must  enjoy  more 
than  average  good  health.  He  must  cheer- 
fully face  constant  danger.  The  man  who 
fears  to  face  death,  grows  nervous  while  an- 
ticipating dangers  to  come,  sleeps  badly  and 

18 


LEARNING  TO  FLY 

so  finds  himself  in  a  nervous  condition,  had 
better  give  up  flying  at  once.  It  is  not 
enough  that  he  should  be  brave,  even  enthusi- 
astic in  his  work.  Come  what  may,  the 
air  man  must  possess  absolutely  untroubled 
nerves. 

The  physical,  as  well  as  moral,  strain  in 
such  flying  is  far  greater  than  commonly 
supposed.  The  fatigue  of  guiding  an  aero- 
plane hour  after  hour,  with  every  sense  on 
the  alert,  soon  tells  on  the  strongest  consti- 
tution. In  extremes  of  heat  or  cold,  often 
without  food,  the  air  man  must  prove  as  de- 
pendable as  his  machine.  Some  interesting 
scientific  observations  on  conditions  aloft 
have  been  collected  which  throw  an  inter- 
esting light  on  the  problem.  It  is  not  gen- 
erally realized,  for  instance,  that  air-sick- 
ness attacks  the  landlubber  in  the  air,  just 
as  it  does  at  sea.  Like  the  sailor,  the  air 
man  must  accustom  himself  to  the  rolling 
and  pitching  of  his  craft.  Obviously  it  is 
more  dangerous  for  an  air  man  to  have  an  at- 
tack of  dizziness  or  nausea  than  for  a  sailor, 
since  everything  depends  upon  the  latter's 
steadiness  of  eye  and  hand. 


THE  AIR  MAN 

An  air  man  must  fight  against  the  constant 
alteration  of  blood  pressure.  Many  people 
feel  the  effect  of  varying  pressures  while 
traveling  quickly  by  elevator  from  the  bot- 
tom to  the  top  of  a  high  building  or  the  re- 
verse. The  ears  ring  and  often  there  is  an 
unpleasant  feeling  of  deafness  or  dizziness. 
How  much  more  serious  must  be  the  effects 
while  rising  or  descending  thousands  of  feet 
in  a  few  seconds.  This  physical  effect  is 
often  experienced  when  flying  on  the  same 
plane  and  varying  the  speed  of  your  aircraft. 
As  pressure  decreases  on  attaining  higher 
altitudes,  a  variety  of  ill  effects  follow  in 
regular  sequence.  After  passing  an  altitude 
of  about  a  mile,  the  first  feeling  is  a  ringing 
in  the  ears,  next  comes  breathing  troubles, 
and  lastly,  a  rapid  increase  of  the  pulse. 
Should  the  aeroplane  cease  to  rise  and  con- 
tinue flying  on  the  same  plane,  these  symp- 
toms will  diminish.  On  the  other  hand,  they 
may  be  increased  by  encountering  air  cur- 
rents. 

After  climbing  to  still  higher  altitudes,  the 
pressure  on  the  heart  may  become  very  dan- 
gerous while  breathing  grows  extremely  la- 

20 


(c.)     Broirn  &  Dairson 

Looking  clown  on  the  German  Aviation  School  at  Lubeck 


rn  &  Da  w son 

Group  of  pupils  in  the  Lubeck  Training  School 


LEARNING  TO  FLY 

bored.  A  violent  headache  may  develop  in 
a  few  seconds.  The  air  man  often  suffers 
acutely  from  this  ailment.  Sometimes  his 
arteries  throb  and  there  is  a  violent  beating 
in  his  temples,  while  the  variations  in  blood 
pressure  easily  fatigue  his  heart.  The 
brain  is  frequently  so  affected  that  aviators 
have  been  known  to  go  sound  asleep  in  their 
machines.  Some  of  the  so-called  "mysteri- 
ous" accidents  may  be  explained  in  this  way. 

In  trying  for  altitude  records,  some  air 
men  carry  with  them  a  special  supply  of  oxy- 
gen to  breathe  in  these  rarified  regions.  The 
blood  may  undergo  chemical  changes  at  high 
altitudes  which  will  seriously  affect  both 
brain  and  digestive  organs,  leading  to  perma- 
nent injuries.  It  is  easy  to  understand  why 
the  age  limit  is  much  lower  for  aviators  than 
in  any  other  branch  of  army  or  navy  serv- 
ice. Only  the  sturdiest  bodies  can  stand  the 
strain  of  long  flights. 

As  the  demands  made  upon  pilots  have 
become  more  exacting  with  the  progress  of 
the  war,  the  standard  of  fitness  had  risen 
correspondingly.  In  examining  recruits 
for  any  other  service  of  the  army  the  exami- 
23 


THE  AIR  MAN 

nation  usually  consists  merely  in  estimating 
the  applicant's  lung  capacity,  chest  measure- 
ment, condition  of  teeth,  eyesight,  weight, 
and  general  condition  of  health,  but  the 
prospective  air  pilot  must  stand  far  more 
rigid  and  searching  tests. 

The  method  employed  for  testing  the 
nerves  of  would-be  air  pilots  for  the  French 
army  is  doubtless  the  most  complete  and 
scientific.  A  number  of  highly  ingenious 
scientific  instruments  have  been  especially 
devised  for  the  purpose.  The  first  care  of 
the  examiner  in  their  system  is  to  ascertain 
what  is  called  the  "personal  equation"  of  the 
candidates — or,  the  time  that  it  takes  him 
to  give  expression  to  the  impressions  he  re- 
ceives. For  this  purpose  a  chronoscope  is 
used,  which  consists  of  a  clock-face  divided 
into  a  hundred  parts,  with  a  pointer  which 
makes  one  complete  revolution  of  the  dial 
in  one  second.  The  indicator  when  set  in 
motion  may  be  arrested  by  squeezing  to- 
gether two  strips  of  metal  held  in  the  right 
hand  of  the  men  being  examined.  The  doc- 
tor taps  with  the  hammer  on  a  tin  box,  and 
sets  the  hand  spinning  round  the  clock-face. 

24 


LEARNING  TO  FLY 

The  instant  the  sound  of  the  tap  reaches  the 
ears  of  the  examinee,  he  squeezes  the  strips 
of  metal  together,  and  stops  the  revolution 
of  the  pointer.  The  distance  that  the 
pointer  has  traveled  before  he  stops  it  shows 
the  number  of  hundredths  of  a  second  that 
it  has  taken  him  to  record  his  impression. 
The  applicant's  impressions  of  sight  are 
tested  by  stopping  the  motion  of  the  pointer 
on  signal.  A  successful  candidate  will  stop 
the  pointer  in  fifteen-hundredths  of  a  second 
after  receiving  impression  of  touch  or  hear- 
ing, and  nineteen-hundredths  of  a  second  in 
the  case  of  impressions  of  sight.  If  his  fig- 
ures run  up  to  from  seventeen  to  thirty-three 
hundredths  for  hearing,  twenty  to  thirty- 
nine  hundredths  for  touch,  and  twenty-two 
to  forty-eight  hundredths  for  sight,  he  is 
unfit  to  attempt  the  dangers  of  flying. 

The  strength  of  the  candidate's  nerves  are 
also  thoroughly  tested  with  an  instrument 
known  as  the  pneumograph,  which  records 
the  rate  of  his  respirations.  The  first  two 
fingers  of  his  left  hand  are  inclosed  in  a  lit- 
tle apparatus  which  shows  the  action  of  his 
heart  or  pulse;  while  he  holds  in  his  right 

25 


THE  AIR  MAN 

hand  the  "trembler,"  which  registers  the 
steadiness  of  his  hand  in  much  the  same  way 
as  the  seismograph  records  the  tremors  of 
the  earth.  All  three  are  connected  with 
pointers,  each  of  which  traces  a  line  on  a  re- 
volving drum  covered  with  lampblack.  The 
shock  to  the  nerves  is  given  either  by  the 
firing  of  a  revolver  close  to  the  examinee, 
by  the  magnesium  flare  used  by  photogra- 
phers, or  by  the  unexpected  placing  of  a 
cloth  dipped  in  iced  water  on  the  examinee's 
bare  skin.  By  these  means  three  separate 
lines  or  "curves"  are  simultaneously  traced 
on  the  revolving  drum. 

So  much  depends  upon  the  pilots  resist- 
ing the  fatigue  of  the  nerves  and  muscles  of 
the  hands  and  arms  that  tests  are  made  by 
a  special  instrument.  The  would-be  pilot 
places  his  right  hand  palm  upwards  on  the 
apparatus,  inserts  a  finger  in  a  kind  of  fin- 
ger-stall so  contrived  that  the  bending  of  the 
finger  raises  a  small  weight,  while  the 
"curve"  produced  by  the  repeated  bending 
of  the  same  finger  before  the  consequent  fa- 
tigue of  the  muscles  makes  this  contraction 
painful  or  impossible  is  recorded  on  a  disc. 

26 


LEARNING  TO  FLY 

The  importance  of  a  high  degree  of  endur- 
ance in  this  respect  may  be  judged  when  one 
considers  the  number  of  times  the  controlling 
levers  of  an  aeroplane  have  to  be  pulled  and 
the  firmness  of  the  grip  that  the  airman  has 
to  keep  upon  them. 


CHAPTER  II 

NAVIGATING   THE   AIR 

ALTHOUGH  navigation  of  the  air  and 
sea  are  much  alike,  the  sky-pilot  faces 
far  more  complicated  problems.  While 
guiding  his  craft,  an  air  man  always  must 
reckon  with  a  third  or  vertical  dimension,  a 
trifling  miscalculation  at  any  moment  often 
causing  a  fatal  plunge.  In  addition,  the  air 
man  must  be  a  good  sailor  to  guide  his  craft 
through  baffling  winds.  The  directing  of 
the  highly  developed  aeroplane  engine  also 
demands  great  technical  skill.  The  bridge 
or  dash-board  of  the  aeroplane,  as  it  is  called, 
is  equipped  with  many  complicated  instru- 
ments which  must  be  watched  with  invariable 
attention.  The  air  pilot's  equipment  may 
include,  among  other  things,  an  altimeter, 
an  inclinometer,  an  air-speed  meter,  a  drift 
meter,  an  angle  of  attack  meter,  a  stabilized 

30 


NAVIGATING  THE  AIR 

telescope,  a  distance  indicator,  spirit  levels, 
a  sextant  and  a  compass.  To  manipulate 
this  complicated  keyboard,  the  air  man 
would  seem  to  need  a  dozen  eyes  and  as 
many  hands. 

Few  air  men  go  aloft  without  a  barometer 
or  altimeter.  From  long  experience  a  pilot 
learns  to  judge  his  altitude  with  remarkable 
accuracy.  When  he  rises  above  a  mile,  how- 
ever, the  earth  slowly  fades  into  an  indefinite 
gray-green  plane  in  which  it  is  wellnigh  im- 
possible to  recognize  landmarks.  In  flying 
still  higher  or  above  the  clouds,  the  air  man 
is  completely  at  sea,  so  to  speak,  and,  without 
an  altimeter,  cannot  be  sure  whether  he  is 
rising  or  descending.  Conditions  often  must 
be  faced  where  it  is  of  vital  importance  to 
know  one's  height  within  a  few  feet.  In  al- 
titude contests  the  barometer  is  often  locked 
before  rising  and,  upon  descent,  is  only 
opened  by  judges  of  the  contest.  The  auto- 
matic record  it  preserves  decides  which  aero- 
plane has  risen  highest  and  so  wins  the  con- 
test. 

The  air-speed  meter  serves  several  impor- 
tant purposes.  It  is  vital  to  the  air  man's 


THE  AIR  MAN 

safety  that  this  instrument  indicate  the 
aeroplane's  slowest  as  well  as  fastest  pace. 
When  a  machine,  for  instance,  is  banking 
strongly  on  a  turn,  the  mechanism  must  be 
free  from  effects  of  acceleration.  An  ex- 
cessive speed  in  gliding  is  very  dangerous 
and  the  meter  should  warn  the  pilot  against 
bringing  up  his  machine  too  sharply. 
Again,  when  flying  at  high  speed, — that  is, 
in  excess  of  a  hundred  miles  an  hour, — the 
angle  of  attack  is  so  small  that,  without  some 
such  caution,  the  machine  may  enter  a  criti- 
cal condition  before  the  air  man  realizes  his 
danger.  It  is  also  of  utmost  importance 
that  a  pilot  be  able  to  read  his  lower  speeds 
accurately,  especially  the  "stalling  speed"  or 
lowest  speed  limit  for  safe  flying.  If  the 
aeroplane  slows  down  below  a  certain  speed, 
its  wings  will  cease  to  support  it  and  a  plunge 
is  imminent.  The  air-speed  meter  warns  the 
air  man  of  this  danger  and  so  gains  for  him 
a  few  seconds  of  priceless  time. 

There  are  two  types  of  drift  meters  in 
common  use  to-day.     One  indicates  the  lee- 
way the  aeroplane  makes,  the  second  the 
sideslip,  showing,  at  a  glance,  whether  the 
32 


NAVIGATING  THE  AIR 

machine  is  flying  square  to  the  wind.  The 
experienced  air  pilot  can  tell  the  drift  of  his 
machine  by  observing  the  apparent  motion 
of  fixed  objects  on  the  ground  beneath  him, 
but  the  drift  meter  gives  him  accurate  obser- 
vation. It  consists  of  a  telescope  mounted 
vertically  so  that  a  pilot  may  look  down  upon 
the  ground  directly  beneath  him.  This  tele- 
scope contains  a  series  of  parallel  wires  with 
a  graduated  scale  and  pointer.  A  sailor  can 
judge  the  drift  of  his  boat  by  comparing  its 
course  with  the  lines  of  the  waves.  Just  so, 
by  turning  the  telescope  of  the  drift  meter  so 
that  the  cross  wires  are  parallel  \vith  the 
lines  of  motion, — that  is,  the  roads  or  shore 
lines  below, — the  exact  drift  is  measured  by 
the  needle  of  the  indicator.  Any  landlubber 
knows,  of  course,  that  air  currents  aloft 
change  so  rapidly  that  charts  and  tables  are 
out  of  the  question.  The  drift  indicator, 
therefore,  is  invaluable. 

The  simplest  form  of  sideslip  meter  is  a 
weighted  string  or  plummet,  but  this  cannot 
be  used  in  the  wake  of  propellers  whose  air 
currents  throw  the^n  out  of  plumb.  Another 
type  of  instrument  consists  of  a  very  delicate 

33 


THE  AIR  MAN 

pendulum  that  indicates  the  lateral  accelera- 
tion. 

Safety  in  flight  is  so  dependent  on  the 
angle  of  attack  that  a  special  instrument 
known  as  the  angle-of-attack  meter  has  been 
devised  to  give  an  accurate  reading.  By 
angle  of  attack  is  meant  the  inclination  of 
the  planes  in  rising  or  falling,  measured  with 
the  horizontal.  If  the  air  pilot  rises  at  too 
steep  an  angle,  he  loses  his  balance  and  a 
fatal  fall  may  result.  The  meter  shows  the 
changes  in  the  direction  of  the  flow  of  air  to 
the  surface  of  the  planes.  It  is  free  from 
gravitation  and  extremely  sensitive  to  air 
currents.  This  meter  it  attached  to  the 
frame  in  advance  of  the  wings  on  a  tractor 
aeroplane,  while  if  the  machine  be  driven  by 
propellers,  it  must  be  kept  free  from  air  cur- 
rents stirred  up  by  them. 

An  indispensable  instrument  on  the  bridge 
of  an  aeroplane  is  the  spirit-level.  The  ex- 
perienced air  man  learns  to  judge  with  re- 
markable accuracy  how  far  his  craft  swings 
from  an  even  keel.  At  great  altitudes,  how- 
ever, when  there  are  no  fixed  objects  in  sight 
for  comparison,  balance  is  often  very  decep- 

34 


NAVIGATING  THE  AIR 

tive.  While  sailing  above  the  clouds  or  in 
a  fog,  for  instance,  and  especially  in  making 
steep  banks  or  spirals,  all  sense  of  equilib- 
rium may  be  lost.  As  one  air  man  has  put 
it:  "There  are  times  when  you  cannot  tell 
whether  you  are  on  your  head  or  heels!" 
The  spirit-level  or  inclinometer  is  designed 
especially  for  aeroplane  use.  It  must  show 
at  a  glance  whether  the  aeroplane  is  pitching 
or  rolling  to  port  or  starboard,  also  its  exact 
degree  away  from  the  horizontal  position. 
One  of  these  devices  is  U  shaped  and  is  set 
on  the  bridge  at  an  angle  of  about  45  degrees 
so  that  it  can  indicate  every  motion  of  the 
craft. 

In  flying  over  the  sea  or  unfamiliar  coun- 
try, a  distance  indicator  is  extremely  valu- 
able to  an  air  man.  It  is  impossible  to  calcu- 
late the  distance  flown  from  the  speed  of 
your  propellers,  since  their  driving  power 
varies  when  they  are  climbing  or  diving. 
The  record  made  by  an  anometer  must  be 
corrected  again  by  the  wind  velocity  and  its 
direction. 

No  one  has  as  yet  succeeded  in  construct- 
ing a  satisfactory  aeroplane  director,  though 

35 


THE  AIR  MAN 

the  general  principle  on  which  it  should 
work  is  well  understood.  It  must  indicate 
mechanically  the  course  and  distance  to  be 
followed,  based  on  the  speed  of  the  aeroplane 
and  the  force  and  direction  of  the  wind. 
The  sextant  used  at  present  in  long  flights  is 
far  from  satisfactory.  Some  instrument 
must  be  devised  that  will  take  the  altitude 
of  heavenly  bodies  above  a  horizontal  plane, 
without  making  use  of  the  sea  horizon. 

The  rapid  motion  of  an  aeroplane  in  flight 
makes  it  very  difficult  to  train  a  telescope  on 
any  object  below  or  above  the  pilot's  line  of 
vision.  A  sailor  with  good  sea  legs  can  bal- 
ance himself  against  the  rolling  and  pitching 
of  a  ship  and  keep  his  glass  fairly  steady,  but 
the  air  man,  being  seated,  swings  with  the 
motion  of  his  craft.  A  special  aeroplane 
telescope  has  been  devised  with  a  stabilizing 
device  that  holds  it  permanently  at  any  de- 
sired angle  to  the  horizontal.  To  study  the 
ground  directly  beneath  or  pick  up  another 
craft  higher  up,  the  stabilized  telescope  may, 
at  a  touch,  be  brought  to  position  and  will 
remain  "put"  independent  of  the  aeroplane's 
motion. 

36 


NAVIGATING  THE  AIR 

The  compass  is  almost  as  essential  to  an 
air  man  as  it  is  to  the  mariner  at  sea.  In 
long  flights,  especially  at  high  altitudes,  the 
pilot  may  be  out  of  sight  of  earth  for  hours,. 
or  the  country  may  be  so  unfamiliar  to  him 
that  he  finds  himself  hopelessly  lost.  He 
must,  so  to  speak,  fly  by  dead  reckoning. 
The  compass  used  on  aeroplanes  has  as  high 
a  directive  force  as  is  possible  in  relation  to 
its  size.  The  needle  must  come  to  rest  and 
point  steadily,  no  matter  how  the  air  craft 
swerves  from  side  to  side.  A  ship  at  sea 
swings  slowly  about  while  an  aeroplane  is 
very  readily  sent  off  its  course.  The  air- 
ship's compass  is  placed  as  far  as  possible 
from  the  machinery,  such  as  columns,  shafts 
and  leads.  In  mounting  it,  special  care  is 
taken  to  guard  against  the  influence  of  any 
magnetic  material.  When  reading  the  com- 
pass, the  navigator  of  the  air  must  make  due 
allowance  for  heeling  and  dipping  errors. 
These  instruments  are  usually  of  the  "march- 
ing compass"  type  used  in  the  army  and  work 
equally  well  at  any  angle.  The  dials  are  or- 
dinarily marked  with  lines  and  figures  that 
are  radio  active,  and  therefore  luminous  and 

39 


THE  AIR  MAN 

clearly  visible  while  making  night  flights. 
In  addition,  the  aeroplane  pilot  often  uses  a 
walking  compass  strapped  just  above  the 
knee  which  is  far  more  convenient  for  him 
than  a  wrist-watch  would  be. 

Several  of  the  instruments  on  the  bridge 
are  operated  electrically  while  the  binnacle 
lamp  and  colored  signals  to  port  and  star- 
board of  the  planes  also  require  electric 
power.  An  ingenious  motor  has  been  de- 
vised to  generate  sufficient  current  for  this 
purpose.  It  is  installed  on  one  of  the  planes, 
taking  up  very  little  room,  where  the  force  of 
resistance  to  the  air  is  converted  into  an 
ample  supply  of  electricity.  The  dynamo  is 
usually  placed  in  line  with  the  propellers,  so 
that  the  current  of  air  stirred  up  supplies 
electric  power  to  light  the  lamp  and  animate 
the  navigating  machinery  even  before  the 
aeroplane  leaves  the  ground. 

One  of  the  latest  devices  installed  on  the 
"bridge"  of  airships  consists  of  three  small 
signal  lamps, — white,  green  and  red, — which 
warn  the  pilot  of  approaching  danger. 
When  this  signal  is  connected  with  the 
stallometer,  for  instance,  the  white  lamp 
40 


NAVIGATING  THE  AIR 

burns  continuously  as  long  as  the  aeroplane 
travels  at  normal  speed.  Let  the  craft  slow 
down  below  a  certain  pace, — say  a  mile  a 
minute, — and  the  green  light  instantly 
flashes.  The  red  signal  shows  only  when 
the  craft  approaches  the  "stalling"  limit  and 
the  aeroplane  is  actually  in  danger  of  fall- 
ing. The  same  device  can  be  connected  with 
the  incidence  indicator  to  warn  the  pilot  of 
approaching  danger. 

Still  another  electrical  signal  connects  the 
pilot's  and  passenger's  seats.  The  roar  of 
the  propellers  drowns  the  voice  and,  since 
the  two  seats  may  be  several  feet  apart,  it  is 
difficult  for  a  pilot  to  make  himself  heard. 
An  elaborate  device  is  sometimes  installed  to 
enable  the  pilot  to  instruct  a  pupil  by  signals. 
By  pressing  a  button  beside  the  pilot's  seat 
a  tiny  electric  sign  is  made  to  flash  in  front 
of  the  pupil.  It  is  possible  to  give  a  dozen 
different  directions,  such  as,  right,  left,  up, 
down,  faster,  slower,  dip,  etc.  The  instruc- 
tor can  thus  direct  a  pupil  without  the  loss 
of  a  fraction  of  a  second,  for  in  guiding  an 
aeroplane  time  is  very  valuable.  The  same 
contrivance  reversed  enables  a  passenger  to 


THE  AIR  MAN 

direct  his  pilot  by  such  orders  as,  descend, 
elevate,  faster,  slower,  or  "home." 

The  air  pilot  must  also  keep  a  watchful  eye 
upon  a  variety  of  gages  and  indicators  con- 
nected with  the  mechanism  of  his  craft. 
There  is  an  oil  gage  that  shows  the  pressure 
of  oil  in  the  crank  case  and  an  oil  pressure 
gage  indicating  the  flow  of  oil.  The  gaso- 
line gage  shows  at  a  glance  the  amount  of 
gas  available  in  the  main  tanks.  There  is  a 
pressure  indicator  to  show  how  this  gasoline 
is  fed.  This  has  been  especially  designed 
for  aeroplane  use,  since  the  gasoline  is  not 
fed  by  gravity  and  is  affected  by  change  of 
temperature.  The  radiator  temperature  in- 
dicator must  be  especially  rigged  to  with- 
stand the  violent  vibrations  and  shocks  of  an 
aeroplane  flight.  There  is  also  a  self-starter 
within  easy  reach  of  the  pilot's  seat.  An 
aeroplane  carries  electric  lights  to  port  and 
starboard  like  any  ship.  These  are  switched 
on  and  off  from  the  pilot's  seat.  For  night 
flights  a  powerful  searchlight  is  also  of  great 
value  to  illuminate  landing  places  or  pick  out 
other  air  craft  aloft.  Aboard  the  great  pas- 
42 


NAVIGATING  THE  AIR 

senger  aeroplanes  of  the  future,  the  crews 
will  probably  comprise  a  steersman,  an  engi- 
neer and  a  navigation  officer  with,  perhaps, 
several  assistants.  To-day  a  single  pilot 
must  struggle  with  all  these  problems. 

The  arrangement  of  lights  for  night  flying 
has  been  worked  out  with  great  care. 
Aboard  battle  planes  it  is,  of  course,  impera- 
tive that  all  lights  be  concealed.  An  aero- 
plane may  be  betrayed  by  the  flash  of  its  ex- 
haust, but  there  is  nothing  else  to  serve  as  a 
target  for  an  enemy.  The  specifications  of 
the  British  Government,  for  example,  pro- 
vide two  lights  on  the  instrument  board, 
carefully  shielded  from  the  pilot's  eyes. 
Another  light  is  placed  at  the  bottom  of  the 
fuiselage,  or  car  of  the  aeroplane  in  case  of 
need.  This  may  be  of  service  in  adjusting 
the  machinery  or  to  operate  bomb-dropping 
devices.  A  special  light  shines  on  the  com- 
pass and  one  portable  torch  is  carried  by 
each  machine.  If  an  aeroplane  is  not 
equipped  with  a  special  motor  for  supplying 
current,  dry  batteries  are  carried  that  may 
be  thrown  overboard  when  exhausted. 

43 


THE  AIR  MAN 

Enough  current  is  carried  along  to  run  the 
lights  for  eight  hours, — the  maximum 
length  of  flights  on  these  night  patrols. 

An  air  man  must  be  skilful  and  alert  in 
reading  maps.  The  ordinary  traveler  who 
loses  his  way  can  stop  to  make  inquiries. 
An  aeroplane  may  pass  through  clouds  or 
mist  that  conceal  every  landmark.  From 
high  altitudes  the  most  familiar  landscape 
may  be  difficult  to  recognize.  The  pilot  must 
learn  to  judge  the  height  of  hills  and  size  of 
towns  at  a  glance  and  must  be  able  to  calcu- 
late the  direction  of  a  straight  line  between 
two  points,  translating  this  direction  into  de- 
grees on  his  compass. 

The  congestion  of  the  air  routes  in  some 
parts  of  Europe  have  made  it  necessary  to 
establish  definite  rules  for  regulating  the  air 
traffic.  The  regulations  announced  by  the 
Royal  Flying  Corps  are  especially  rigid,  as 
illustrated  by  the  following  quotation : 

Aircraft  Meeting  Each  Other. — Two  air- 
craft meeting  each  other  end  on,  and  thereby 
running  the  risk  of  a  collision,  must  always 
steer  to  the  right.  They  must,  in  addition  to 
this,  pass  at  a  distance  of  at  least  100  yards. 
44 


NAVIGATING  THE  AIR 

Aircraft  Overtaking  Each  Other. — Any 
aircraft  overtaking  another  aircraft  is  re- 
sponsible for  keeping  clear  and  must  not  ap- 
proach within  100  yards  on  the  right  or  350 
yards  on  the  left  of  the  overtaken  aircraft, 
and  must  not  pass  directly  underneath  or 
over,  save  when  the  vertical  distance  is  in 
excess  of  800  feet.  No  aircraft  shall  re- 
main persistently  below  or  above  another. 
In  no  case  must  the  overtaking  aircraft  turn 
in  across  the  bows  of  the  other  aircraft  after 
passing  it  or  move  so  as  to  foul  it  in  any  way. 

Aircraft  Approaching  Each  Other  in  a 
Cross  Direction. — When  any  aircraft  are 
approaching  one  another  in  cross  directions, 
then  the  aircraft  that  sees  another  aircraft 
on  its  right-hand  forward  quadrant — from 
o  degrees  (i.e.,  straight  ahead)  to  90  degrees 
on  the  right-hand  constitutes  the  right-hand 
forward  quadrant — must  give  way,  and  the 
other  aircraft  must  keep  on  its  course  at  the 
same  level  till  both  are  well  clear. 

Distance  to  be  Maintained  from  Airships. 
— When  one  of  the  aircraft  is  an  airship, 
the  distance  of  100  yards  prescribed  above 
shall  be  increased  to  600  yards. 
45 


THE  AIR  MAN 

Long  Glides  and  Quick  Rises. — Except 
when  prearranged  for  instructional  purposes 
or  in  cases  of  emergency,  long  glides  and 
quick  rises  will  be  practised  only  to  and  from 
the  usual  landing  area. 

Position  of  Other  Aircraft  to  be  Noted 
Before  Starting. — Aeroplane  pilots  will, 
when  starting,  carefully  note  the  position  of 
other  aircraft  and  will  be  responsible  for 
keeping  clear  of  them. 

Danger  Flag  to  ~be  Hoisted  Before  Aero- 
plane Flying  Commences. — No  aeroplane 
flying  will  take  place  without  a  red  flag  being 
hoisted  at  the  appointed  place  as  a  warning 
to  all  concerned.  In  cases  where  the  flag  is 
likely  to  be  mistaken  for  other  danger  flags, 
the  flag  of  the  Royal  Flying  Corps  will  be 
hoisted  immediately  below  the  red  flag. 

Landing  Marks. — Permanent  marks  will 
be  made  on  the  ground  at  the  usual  landing 
place  to  indicate  the  nearest  points  at  which 
it  is  safe  for  aeroplanes  to  land  in  directions 
facing  the  sheds,  etc.  An  aeroplane  land- 
ing in  such  a  direction  must  be  on  the  ground 
before  it  reaches  the  point  in  question. 

Flying    over    Towns. — Flying    unneces- 

46 


NAVIGATING  THE  AIR 

sarily  over  towns  and  villages  is  to  be 
avoided. 

Dogs. — No  dog  not  on  a  leash  is  allowed 
in  the  starting  and  landing  area  while  flying 
is  in  progress. 

It  has  been  necessary  abroad  to  build  a 
special  form  of  lighthouse  for  the  guidance 
of  air  men.  A  sailor  at  sea  will  observe  any 
light  placed  on  a  level  with  or  above  his  range 
of  vision.  The  aerial  lighthouse,  however, 
must  send  its  rays  so  that  they  will  be  clearly 
visible  from  any  point  above  the  lowest  flying 
level.  Again,  its  light  must  be  thrown  uni- 
formly in  all  directions  so  that  it  will  appear 
the  same  whether  sighted  from  a  point  di- 
rectly above  or  on  a  level  with  it. 

A  most  effective  aerial  signal-light  con- 
sists of  a  belt  of  several  lenses  with  a  lamp 
placed  at  their  focus  so  that  the  rays  shine 
uniformly  in  all  directions.  As  in  sea-coast 
beacons,  these  lights  must  each  give  a  dis- 
tinctive signal,  so  that  the  air  man  sighting 
them  miles  distant  may  definitely  fix  his  posi- 
tion. The  best  plan  discovered  thus  far  is 
to  flash  the  light  on  and  off  in  a  series  of  dots 
and  dashes  in  the  Morse  code.  Colored 

49 


THE  AIR  MAN 

lights  are  also  used,  but  these  are  harder  to 
distinguish.  An  air  man  sighting  one  of 
these  beacons  can  pick  up  the  signal  in  a  few 
seconds  and,  by  consulting  his  code  books, 
quickly  identify  the  light  and  lay  his  course 
accordingly. 

Some  of  the  aerial  lighthouses  in  Germany 
have  fifty-thousand-candle-power  lamps  that 
are  clearly  visible  twenty-five  miles  away. 
These  powerful  lamps  are  often  mounted  on 
lighthouses  raised  fifty  feet  or  more  above 
the  ground  or  whatever  the  lowest  flying- 
level  in  their  vicinity  may  be.  When  one  of 
these  beacons  is  placed  on  some  mountain  or 
other  high  elevation,  it  must  be  especially  de- 
signed to  throw  its  rays  downward  so  as  to 
be  visible  from  beneath.  These  great  lights 
help  the  air  man  to  steer  a  straight  course  and 
prevent  him  from  being  lost  and  wandering 
across  frontiers  or  over  the  sea-coast.  In 
years  to  come  terra  firma,  viewed  from  aloft, 
will  be  twinkling  with  these  signals. 

The  dream  of  the  air  man  is  absolute  auto- 
matic control  of  the  aeroplane  under  all  air 
conditions.  Earlier  types  of  the  aeroplane 
were  at  the  mercy  of  every  wind-gust.  The 

50 


NAVIGATING  THE  AIR 

slightest  change  of  balance,  even  a  trifling 
error,  might  bring  instant  disaster.  So 
rapid  has  been  progress  in  aircraft  naviga- 
tion that  a  well-equipped  aeroplane  to-day 
may  be  depended  upon  to  sail  a  fixed  course 
without  guidance  under  ordinary  conditions. 
Let  such  a  craft  be  knocked  off  its  course, 
even  almost  capsized,  and  it  will  right  itself 
unaided.  Many  pilots  have  told  of  the  mar- 
velous stability  of  machines  after  they  had 
lost  control.  With  the  machine  apparently 
dashing  down  at  frightful  speed  to  certain 
destruction,  the  pilot  has  let  go  of  the  steer- 
ing apparatus  and  leaned  back  in  his  seat, 
waiting  for  the  end.  Then  the  aeroplane,  as 
if  by  magic,  has  come  to  an  even  keel  and 
continued  on  its  course.  As  aeroplanes 
grow  larger  and  more  complicated,  it  be- 
comes increasingly  difficult  for  one  pilot,  no 
matter  how  alert,  to  operate  engines  and 
steering  mechanism  at  the  same  time.  The 
use  of  stabilizing  devices  renders  the  aero- 
plane practically  automatic,  leaving  the 
pilot's  hands  free  to  make  observations,  con- 
sult his  maps  and  charts,  or,  in  the  case  of 
war  craft,  to  work  his  gun. 


THE  AIR  MAN 

Several  ingenious  devices  have  recently 
been  invented  by  Wright,  Sperry,  Clark  and 
others  that  render  an  aeroplane  almost  as 
safe  as  an  automobile.  The  rudders  that 
control  the  position  of  the  aeroplane  are  au- 
tomatically governed  by  a  pendulum.  As 
the  aeroplane  rolls  or  pitches  away  from  an 
even  keel,  an  electrical  apparatus  turns  the 
controlling  rudder  just  far  enough  to  coun- 
teract this  motion.  The  gyroscope  is  used 
to  keep  the  aeroplane  level,  no  matter  how 
air  currents  may  tend  to  knock  it  off  its 
course.  With  one  of  these  stabilizing  de- 
vices at  work,  the  pilot  has  practically  noth- 
ing to  do  but  steer  his  craft.  Here  is  the  log 
of  a  recent  air-cruise  to  New  York  that  gives 
a  very  vivid  impression  of  sitting  in  the 
pilot's  seat.  Mr.  Lawrence  B.  Sperry,  the 
inventor,  who  guided  the  aeroplane,  before 
starting  set  his  automatic  pilot  at  2  degrees 
longitudinal  inclination  and  the  device 
guided  his  aeroplane  throughout  the  trip. 

Time  Place  Altitude      True  Heading 

12.02  Amityville     south  of  west  250°  2 

12.08  300  ft.  255° 

12.13  400  "  240  2 

12.15  Freeport    500  240  2 

12.18  500  "  230°  2 

52 


NAVIGATING  THE  AIR 


Time  Place  Altit 

12.21  Long  Branch   500 

12.23   500 

12.27  Cedarhurst   700 

12.30  Rockaway   900 

12.37  Rockaway   Pt 1150 

12.39   1200 

12.40  Sheepshead  Bay    ....  1200 

12.42  Coney  Island 1200 

12.45  Sea   Gate    1300  " 

12.48  1400  " 

12.49  Fort  Hamilton 1500 

12.55  Governor's  Island  . . .  2000 

1.03   i29th  St.  and  Hudson 
River   2200 


ide      True  Heading 

Inclination 
Gyro  Unit 

ft.  south  of  west    250° 

2 

"       "       260° 

2 

due  west 

2 

south   of  west  260° 

2 

260° 

2 

"        "       260° 

O 

nc 

th  of  west  300° 

O 

"       "       320° 

O 

" 

315° 

O 

330" 

0 

'     west  of  north   345° 

O 

"         "       "        "       350° 

O 

Kiver   2200 

Remarks:    Light    wind;    10   miles   per   hour.     Engine    speed;    1325 
revolutions  per  minute. 


S3 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  AERO-SPORTSMAN 

THE  delights  of  cruising  on  the  magic 
carpet  of  the  Arabian  Nights  may  be 
enjoyed  to-day  by  all.  The  speedy  racing 
and  pleasure  aircraft  lend  new  excitement 
to  a  variety  of  sports.  The  racing  aero- 
plane which  travels  one  hundred  and  forty 
miles  an  hour  or  better  makes  every  means 
of  transportation  seem  commonplace  by  com- 
parison. The  hunter  finds  it  a  unique  ex- 
perience to  pursue  his  game  on  the  wing. 
The  air  yachtsman  looks  down  upon  all  sur- 
face boating  with  good-natured  indulgence. 
For  hosts  of  amateur  photographers,  pic- 
ture-making in  the  air  holds  a  new  delight. 

At  present,  the  most  popular  type  of  air- 
craft for  pleasure  cruising  is  the  so-called 
airboat.  When  the  hydro-aeroplane  first 
appeared,  sportsmen  at  once  recognized  the 
attractions  of  this  new  vehicle.  Here,  at 

54 


THE  AERO-SPORTSMAN 

last,  was  a  craft  that  could  navigate  both  air 
and  water.  At  the  touch  of  a  wheel,  one 
could  skim  over  the  water  at  fascinating 
speed  or  mount  to  high  altitudes  and  leave 
the  world  behind. 

The  first  hydro-aeroplane,  however,  was 
more  of  an  air  craft  than  a  boat.  At  best, 
only  two  passengers  could  be  accommodated. 
When  afloat,  it  rested  on  substantial  pon- 
toons and  was  only  fit  to  rise  from  quiet 
waters.  This  type  of  craft  has  been  quickly 
developed  and  the  latest  models  are  marvels 
of  speed  and  even  luxury.  It  is  no  longer 
only  a  fair  weather  craft.  In  either  rough 
water  or  high  winds  it  proves  itself  air- 
worthy or  seaworthy  as  the  need  may  be. 

A  party  of  sixteen  has  been  carried  aloft 
in  one  of  the  air-craft  which  may,  without 
exaggeration,  be  called  an  air  yacht.  In  the 
majority  of  models  the  car  or  boat  contains 
comfortable  seats  for  five.  They  are  ar- 
ranged much  the  same  as  in  the  conventional 
touring  car,  two  behind  the  others,  with  a 
convenient  door  between,  so  that  passengers 
may  change  their  seats  even  when  sailing 
aloft.  The  cockpit  is  usually  finished  in 

55 


THE  AIR  MAN 

some  hard  wood,  preferably  mahogany,  and 
the  seats  are  heavily  upholstered  in  pigskin. 
The  deck  is  carried  out  in  the  same  wood  and 
the  hull  painted  white  with  a  green  water- 
line.  A  cabin  top  is  placed  over  the  cockpit 
in  rough  weather  to  keep  out  the  spray  from 
a  rough  sea  or  the  cold  air  currents  of  the 
upper  altitudes.  The  mechanic  sits  at  the 
rear,  just  below  the  upper  plane,  though  the 
craft  is  steered  from  the  front  seat  of  the 
cabin. 

The  largest  of  these  air  yachts  will  fly 
with  a  full  load  at  a  speed  of  seventy-five 
miles  an  hour,  and  have  a  cruising  radius  of 
about  five  hundred  miles.  A  rather  ex- 
tended cruise  both  by  air  and  water  is  thus 
possible  without  stopping  to  replenish  fuel. 
The  lines  of  an  air  yacht  are  graceful  and 
suggest  a  high-speed  boat  equipped  with 
wings.  The  largest  type  have  a  wingspread 
of  seventy-six  feet,  while  the  boat  measures 
fifty-four  feet  from  prow  to  stern.  It 
draws  eighteen  inches  of  water  when  loaded, 
and  will  leave  the  surface  after  a  run  of 
thirty  seconds. 

In  this  type  of  aircraft  may  be  seen  the 

56 


Looking  clown  on  a  crossroads  "somewhere  in  France  " 


THE  AERO-SPORTSMAN 

general  form  of  the  great  passenger-carry- 
ing airships  of  the  future.  When  the  air- 
yachts  are  built  larger,  cabin  accommoda- 
tions will  quickly  improve.  Had  it  not  been 
for  the  European  War,  which  directed  the 
genius  and  enterprise  of  aviators  toward  the 
building  of  battle  craft,  the  air  yacht  would 
doubtless  already  have  had  an  amazing  de- 
velopment. It  seems  safe  to  assume  that  the 
craft  that  makes  the  first  transatlantic  flight 
will  be  constructed  on  these  general  lines. 

The  largest  passenger-carrying  aeroplane 
in  existence  is  one  built  and  flown  in  Russia. 
A  party  of  twenty  one  has  been  carried  aloft 
in  this  giant  craft  for  a  six-hour  flight.  It 
is  equipped  with  a  really  luxurious  cabin 
which  contains  several  surprising  features. 
On  one  of  its  flights,  a  number  of  members 
of  an  aero-club  were  carried  aloft  to  a  con- 
siderable altitude.  During  the  flight  the 
passengers,  comfortably  seated  about  a  cen- 
tral table  in  the  cabin,  held  a  formal  club 
meeting.  A  meal  was  actually  cooked  in  the 
air  on  an  electric  stove  and  afterwards 
served  at  table.  The  seats  are  also  con- 
vertible into  beds  so  that  something  ap- 

59 


THE  AIR  MAN 

preaching  steamship  accommodations  can  be 
enjoyed  while  cruising  at  high  altitudes. 

The  demand  for  airboats  in  America  at- 
tests the  popularity  of  the  new  sport.  A 
single  firm  in  the  United  States  had  orders 
for  twenty-five  large  airboats  to  be  deliv- 
ered in  the  spring  of  1917.  The  cheapest 
of  these  cost  $8500  while  the  more  sumptu- 
ously fitted  craft  sold  for  $10,000.  The 
sport,  by  the  way,  is  likely  to  be  expensive. 
A  pilot  familiar  with  the  complicated  en- 
gines used  in  these  craft  commands  a  salary 
of  around  $40  a  week,  and  the  machinery 
must  be  fed  only  high-grade  gasolene. 

While  European  manufacturers  have  been 
turning  out  war  craft,  it  has  remained  for 
America  to  build  the  first  luxurious  aerial 
limousine.  The  car  of  this  airship,  de- 
signed like  a  modern  sedan,  contains  three 
richly  upholstered  seats,  having  low  windows 
at  the  sides,  front,  and  rear  to  command  a 
view  of  the  earth  beneath.  It  is  a  triplane 
driven  by  an  eight-cylinder,  one  hundred 
horsepower  motor.  This  craft  remains 
upon  the  ground  until  a  speed  of  forty-five 
miles  an  hour  is  attained,  when  it  soars  aloft 

60 


THE  AERO-SPORTSMAN 

and  is  capable  of  doing  sixty-five  miles  an 
hour.  The  purchaser  may  choose  the  color 
and  design  of  the  upholstering.  The  aerial 
limousine  sells  for  $10,000.  It  will  be  re- 
membered that  the  first  bicycles  and  automo- 
biles commanded  high  prices  but  in  a  few 
years  competition  brought  them  within  the 
reach  of  people  of  moderate  means. 

The  general  use  of  aircraft  is  expected  to 
have  an  important  influence  on  real  estate 
values.  The  owner  of  a  flying  boat  or  sea- 
plane will  naturally  select  a  country  home 
on  the  water  front,  and  demand  a  convenient 
inlet  or  cove  for  landing  his  aircraft.  Sev- 
eral owners  of  real  estate  on  Long  Island 
Sound  even  now  point  out  the  attraction  of 
their  property  from  the  aero-sportsmen's 
point  of  view.  As  this  delightful  means  of 
travel  becomes  more  common,  the  aeroplane 
commuter  will  appear.  The  commuting  ra- 
dius will  be  greatly  extended.  A  country 
home  upwards  of  a  hundred  miles  from  a 
business  section  will  be  brought  within  less 
than  one  hour's  flight,  and  the  value  of  out- 
lying districts  will  be  greatly  increased  in 
value. 

61 


THE  AIR  MAN 

It  has  been  pointed  out  by  a  prominent 
landscape  gardener  that  the  aeroplane  will 
doubtless  have  an  important  influence  upon 
the  form  of  country  estates  in  the  near  fu- 
ture. In  the  old  days  of  horse  drawn  car- 
riages a  house  was  naturally  placed  near  the 
public  roads,  the  driveway  was  shortened, 
and  the  gardens  were  placed  at  the  side  or  in 
the  rear.  The  automobile  made  it  possible 
to  place  the  house  further  back  from  the 
public  thoroughfare,  thus  gaining  additional 
privacy.  The  estates  of  the  future  may  re- 
quire convenient  landing  places  with  hangars 
for  air  craft  equal  in  size  to  a  dozen  tennis 
courts,  which  may  be  placed  entirely  inde- 
pendent of  the  roads.  The  general  archi- 
tectural schemes  of  the  estates  of  the  future 
will  also  be  influenced  indirectly  by  the  ad- 
vent of  air  craft. 

The  aero-sportsman  will  find  hunting  in 
the  sky  the  most  thrilling  sport  in  the  world. 
Instead  of  lying  in  ambush  for  winged  game, 
the  airman  pursues  his  prey  aloft,  at  a  su- 
perior speed.  His  airmanship  is  matched 
against  the  flight  of  the  wariest  game. 
While  pursuing  the  fleetest  animals  in  the 

62 


THE  AERO-SPORTSMAN 

open,  the  air-sportsman  again  can  sight  his 
game  at  a  distance  and  pursue  it  without 
encountering  obstacles.  The  wilder  the 
game,  the  more  cleverly  it  struggles  to  elude 
pursuit,  the  better  is  the  sport. 

A  speed  of  over  one  hundred  miles  an 
hour  gives  an  enormous  advantage  to  the 
sportsman  of  the  air.  A  duck  or  eagle,  even 
when  flying  with  the  wind,  can  scarcely  do 
half  as  well,  while  a  rabbit  or  deer  is,  of 
course,  hopelessly  outclassed.  Once  sighted 
by  an  air-huntsman,  the  latter's  chance  of 
escape  lies  in  doubling  on  their  tracks,  or  in 
darting  from  side  to  side  more  quickly  than 
the  air  pilot  can  manceuver  his  craft.  In  a 
straight  flight,  the  hunter  is  likely  to  overrun 
his  quarry,  leaving  it  so  far  behind  that  it 
may  escape. 

The  aeroplane  is  so  unfamiliar  to  all 
forms  of  wild  game  aground  and  aloft  that 
it  fails  to  frighten  them.  A  hunter  with  a 
gun  or  pack  of  dogs  will  be  quickly  scented 
but  the  smell  of  gasolene  fails  to  arouse  fear. 
It  is  common  for  birds  to  regard  the  strange 
visitor  with  curiosity,  and  actually  circle 
about  or  pursue  it  without  the  slightest 
65 


THE  AIR  MAN 

timidity.  Many  kinds  of  wild  game  which 
would  seek  to  escape  at  the  first  sight  of  an 
ordinary  hunter,  have  not  yet  learned  to  look 
aloft  for  possible  danger.  The  air  man,  gun 
in  hand,  can  stand  in  the  cockpit  of  his  aero- 
plane and  choose  his  own  range.  No  air 
man  as  yet  has  hunted  big  game  from  an 
aeroplane,  but  doubtless  the  wildest  and 
fleetest  game,  such  as  elephants  or  lions,  will 
be  brought  quickly  to  bay  by  a  skilful  air 
man. 

The  first  aero-hunting  in  America  was  en- 
joyed by  Hubert  Latham,  the  French  air 
man,  while  visiting  the  Bolsa  Chico  Club  at 
Los  Angeles.  Latham  flew  low  over  a  feed- 
ing ground  and,  when  the  birds  broke  cover, 
brought  down,  or  rather  sent  down,  a  large 
number  of  them.  A  hunting  party  of  this 
kind  consists  of  at  least  two  persons,  the  pilot 
and  a  marksman.  The  superior  speed  of 
the  aeroplane  over  the  fleetest  birds  was  re- 
cently illustrated  when  an  air  man  overtook 
an  eagle  at  such  a  pace  that  one  of  the  wire 
braces  struck  and  killed  the  bird,  cutting  it 
nearly  in  two.  It  calls  for  a  cool  hand  and 
steady  eye  to  hit  a  mark  while  traveling  at 

66 


THE  AERO-SPORTSMAN 

a  speed  of  perhaps  two  miles  a  minute.  The 
champion  wing-shot  of  the  future  must  es- 
tablish new  standards  of  skill  and  daring. 

One  very  exciting  form  of  sport  is  to 
chase  wild  rabbits  or  coyotes  over  open 
country  with  an  aeroplane.  In  searching 
for  game,  the  air-huntsmen  enjoy  a  great 
advantage,  since  they  can  sail  quickly  over 
hills  and  valleys,  easily  covering  a  mile  a 
minute,  while  escaping  all  the  drudgery  of 
the  chase.  A  party  of  three  air  men  re- 
cently enjoyed  a  typical  experience  of  this 
kind  in  the  San  Fernando  Valley  in  Cal- 
ifornia. Arrived  at  the  hunting  ground,  the 
aeroplane  scouted  about  at  a  leisurely  mile- 
a-minute  pace,  while  one  of  the  party 
searched  the  ground  directly  beneath  with  a 
strong  glass.  The  first  game  sighted  was 
two  coyotes  chasing  a  cover  of  quail.  All 
were  entirely  unconscious  of  the  danger 
threatened  from  above.  To  avoid  fright- 
ening the  game  by  the  whir  of  the  propellers, 
the  engines  were  shut  off  and  the  aeroplane 
volplaned  down  until  the  hunter  was  scarcely 
three  hundred  feet  above  the  ground.  The 
first  shot  killed  one  of  the  coyotes.  The 
67 


THE  AIR  MAN 

second  coyote  was  so  bewildered  by  this  un- 
expected attack  that  it  made  no  attempt  to 
escape  and  was  brought  down  by  the  next 
shot. 

The  air-huntsman  has  been  unusually  suc- 
cessful while  hunting  from  the  hydro-aero- 
plane. When  flying  close  to  the  surface  of 
the  water  it  is  easy  to  distinguish  large  fish, 
even  at  a  considerable  depth.  A  most  amaz- 
ing hunt  of  this  kind  occurred  off  Atlantic 
City  in  the  summer  of  1916  during  the  shark 
scare.  Mr.  Neryl  H.  Kendrick  shot  more 
than  thirty  sharks  from  his  hydro-aeroplane. 
By  skimming  swiftly  and  silently  over  the 
sea,  he  surprised  the  sharks  and  brought 
himself  within  easy  rifle  range  before  they 
realized  their  danger.  Meanwhile  the  mo- 
tor boats  sent  out  to  catch  them,  usually 
scared  them  away.  Ducks  and  seagulls 
have  been  hunted  by  aeroplane  with  great 
success  along  the  Atlantic  coast.  It  has 
even  been  possible  to  retrieve  birds  by  flying 
very  low  and  scooping  them  up  with  a  hand 
net. 

The  aeroplane  is  the  ideal  racing  craft. 
No  other  vehicle  can  hope  to  rival  its  speed 
68 


I 

03 


THE  AERO-SPORTSMAN 

or  distance  qualities.  Aerial  contests  are 
decided  aloft  where  they  can  be  enjoyed  by 
vast  audiences,  distributed  over  great 
stretches  of  open  country — a  fact  that  makes 
this  sport  the  most  democratic  in  the  world. 
From  the  earliest  days  of  aviation,  Ameri- 
can air  men  have  looked  forward  to  a  real 
race  between  Chicago  and  New  York — one 
which  would  outclass  the  speed  of  the  fast- 
est express  trains. 

The  first  attempt  at  this  was  made  as  far 
back  as  1910  when  a  purse  of  $25,000  wras 
offered  by  Chicago  and  New  York  news- 
papers. Eugene  B.  Ely,  who  started  first, 
had  flown  but  thirty  miles  when  the  flight 
was  abandoned.  Several  other  such  flights 
were  planned  but  it  was  not  until  November 
2,  1916.  that  Victor  Carlstrom  finally  started 
on  his  daring  attempt.  He  rose  at  6:09 
A.  M.  and,  after  soaring  to  an  elevation  of 
two  thousand  feet,  flew  eastward.  He  had 
already  broken  the  American  non-stop  flight 
record,  when  a  slight  engine  trouble  caused 
him  to  land  at  Erie,  Pa.  Repairs  were 
quickly  made  and  he  rose  again  at  2 135  p.  M. 
Flying  at  amazing  speed,  he  landed  at  Ham- 


THE  AIR  MAN 

mondsport,  N.  Y.,  at  4:24  p.  M.  and  spent 
the  night  there.  At  6:35  next  morning  he 
was  again  in  the  air,  and  flew  to  Governors 
Island,  N.  Y.,  without  alighting,  thus  estab- 
lishing a  new  American  speed  record  for 
cross-country  flight.  The  distance  of  315 
miles  was  covered  at  the  rate  of  134  miles 
an  hour,  or  faster  than  two  miles  a  minute, 
while  the  total  distance  of  967  miles  from 
Chicago  to  New  York  was  flown  in  8  hours, 
28  minutes  and  30  seconds. 

A  few  days  later,  on  November  21,  much 
the  same  course  was  covered  by  Miss  Ruth 
Law.  This  flight,  in  some  respects,  bettered 
the  previous  remarkable  record.  The  ma- 
chine used  in  this  second  flight  was  scarcely 
half  the  size  of  Carlstrom's,  and  the  plucky 
little  pilot  sat  in  an  extremely  exposed  posi- 
tion. Her  fuel  running  low  at  one  point, 
she  was  obliged  to  stop  her  engines  in  mid- 
air and  dip  her  machine  at  a  precarious  angle 
to  make  the  gasolene  flow  into  the  tank. 
Her  first  stop  out  from  Chicago  was  at 
Hornell,  N.  Y.,  590  miles  distant.  This  bet- 
tered Carlstrom's  best  cross-country  non- 
stop record  by  138  miles.  Miss  Law's  flight 

72 


THE  AERO-SPORTSMAN 

of  884  miles  was  covered  in  8  hours,  55  min- 
utes and  35  seconds.  Both  flights  prove, 
if  proof  be  necessary,  that  American  aero- 
planes and  pilots  compare  favorably  with 
any  in  the  world. 

The  great  classic  air  race  of  the  future 
promises  to  be  an  American  Aerial  Derby. 
The  course  will  span  the  continent,  and  the 
race,  starting  at  the  Atlantic  coast,  will  only 
be  decided  upon  reaching  the  Pacific  Ocean. 
No  contest  in  history  has  ever  been  planned 
on  such  ambitious  lines,  and  certainly  none 
will  have  been  enjoyed  by  so  great  an  audi- 
ence. Scores  of  cities  along  the  route  will 
serve  as  control  stations.  Here  the  compet- 
ing air  men  will  alight  for  supplies,  so  that 
tens  of  millions  of  spectators  may  witness 
the  contest.  It  is  expected  that  fifty  aero- 
planes will  enter  this  contest  and  the  prizes 
will  total  $100,000.  Work  has  long  been  in 
progress  in  mapping  the  route  and  surveying 
and  correcting  the  air  course. 

The   Aerial    Derby   will   be,    in   a   very 

real  sense,  a  national  event.     It  will  open 

the  first  trans-continental   aerial   highway. 

Since  America  was  the  first  nation  to  give 

73 


THE  AIR  MAN 

the  aeroplane  to  the  world,  it  is  peculiarly 
fitting  that  the  greatest  test  of  speed  and 
endurance  should  be  flown  above  American 
soil.  Interest  in  aeronautics  will  be  re- 
awakened. No  other  contest  in  the  air  will 
probably  do  so  much  to  demonstrate  the 
practical  usefulness  of  the  aeroplane  for  car- 
rying passengers  and  mail.  Generations  to 
come,  while  perhaps  smiling  indulgently  at 
the  two-miles-a-minute  pace  at  which  the 
aeroplanes  first  crawled  across  the  continent, 
will  admire  the  wisdom  and  energy  of  the 
men  who  first  conceived  and  realized  so  am- 
bitious an  undertaking. 

But  for  the  European  war,  the  Atlantic 
Ocean  would  doubtless  have  been  crossed 
before  this  by  aeroplanes  in  a  single  day. 
A  small  fraction  of  the  energy  and  wealth 
which  has  been  expended  in  building  war 
planes  and  training  men  to  fight  them,  would 
have  sufficed  to  solve  the  transatlantic  prob- 
lem. As  early  as  1912  the  contest  commit- 
tee of  the  Aero  Club  of  America  was  asked 
to  arrange  the  conditions  for  such  a  flight. 
In  the  following  year  a  prize  of  $50,000  was 
offered  by  Lord  Northcliff  for  the  first  aerial 

74 


THE  AERO-SPORTSMAN 

crossing  of  the  Atlantic.  Before  the  war 
the  scheme  had  been  so  far  realized  that  a 
special  aeroplane,  christened  the  "America," 
had  been  built  to  make  the  flight,  and  the 
plans  worked  out  by  experts  in  great  detail. 
The  aeroplane  was  acquired,  however,  by  the 
British  Admiralty  for  war  purposes  and  the 
Atlantic  flight  postponed.  The  showing 
made  by  the  "America"  in  war  service  has 
been  carefully  watched,  however,  and  she  has 
stood  much  more  service  and  encountered 
more  dangerous  conditions  than  would  have 
been  faced  in  crossing  the  Atlantic,  thus  jus- 
tifying the  hopes  of  her  builders. 

While  Europe  continued  absorbed  in  the 
war,  it  remained  for  America  to  prepare  for 
the  great  flight.  Profiting  by  the  experience 
of  the  past,  a  new  airship  was  designed  for 
the  purpose.  It  was  equipped  with  6  twelve- 
cylinder  motors  of  300  horsepower  each, 
with  a  total  driving  power  of  1800  horse- 
power. This  airship  could  carry  a  crew  of 
six,  and  fly  at  a  speed  of  about  100  miles  an 
hour.  It  was  calculated  -that  the  new  air- 
ship would  cross  the  Atlantic  in  about  thirty 
hours.  The  aeroplane  was  especially  de- 

75 


THE  AIR  MAN 

signed  to  alight  upon  the  water  and  rise  from 
it.  In  view  of  the  length  of  the  non-stop 
flights  made  on  either  side  of  the  Atlantic 
by  much  smaller  and  lower-powered  ma- 
chines, it  seems  entirely  reasonable  to  sup- 
pose that  the  transatlantic  flight  is  assured. 
The  general  rules  for  the  flight  as  laid 
down  by  Lord  Northcliff  will  doubtless  be 
followed  when  the  attempt  is  made.  The 
entrant  will  give  ample  notice  of  his  place 
for  starting,  and  indicate,  as  nearly  as  pos- 
sible, his  landing-place.  Only  one  aeroplane 
may  be  used  for  each  attempt,  and  each  must 
be  so  marked,  before  starting,  that  it  can 
be  identified  on  reaching  the  other  side. 
Repairs  may  be  made  en  route.  No  stop  is 
allowed  throughout,  except  on  water.  The 
start  may  be  made  from  either  land  or 
water,  but  if  it  is  made  from  the  water  the 
aeroplane  must  cross  the  coast-line  in  flight 
when  the  official  time  will  be  taken.  A  pilot 
may  leave  his  aeroplane,  but  on  resuming 
his  flight,  must  start  from  approximately  the 
same  point.  The  finish  may  be  made  on 
land  or  water,  but  the  flight  will  officially 
end  and  the  time  be  taken  when  the  aero- 

76 


THE  AERO-SPORTSMAN 

plane  touches  land  or  fli'es  over  the  coast- 
line of  the  opposite  side  of  the  Atlantic 
Ocean.  There  are,  at  present,  three  pro- 
jects under  way  for  realizing  the  transatlan- 
tic flight,  one  by  an  American  and  two  by 
Swedish  pilots. 

With  the  rapid  development  of  flying  has 
come  a  significant  change  in  the  attitude  of 
the  general  public.  The  exhibition  flights 
which  once  thrilled  large  audiences  would 
scarcely  cause  the  man  in  the  streets  to-day 
to  turn  his  head.  When  Wilbur  Wright 
first  flew  above  New  York  during  the  Hud- 
son-Fulton celebration,  the  writer  was  one 
of  a  great  crowd  that  lined  the  waterfront 
to  watch  him.  To-day  the  army  aviators 
fly  daily  over  the  same  course,  and  the  busy 
crowds  below  scarcely  give  them  a  glance. 
The  first  exhibition  of  the  new  aircraft  in 
America  was  an  extremely  modest  attempt 
at  flight.  The  air  man,  Henri  Farman,  con- 
tented himself  with  a  few  hops  while  thou- 
sands stood  by  and  marveled.  The  public 
soon  grew  more  exacting,  however,  and 
could  only  be  attracted  by  daring  tricks  such 
as  looping-the-loop,  spirals  and  volplanes. 
77 


THE  AIR  MAN 

Presently  even  the  attraction  of  these  thrill- 
ers failed  to  attract  the  sophisticated  public. 
At  scores  of  public  fairs  and  similar  gather- 
ings throughout  the  country  to-day  compe- 
titions and  voting  contests  are  held,  the  win- 
ner to  be  rewarded  by  an  actual  flight  aloft 
in  an  aeroplane.  The  change  in  public  taste 
is  significant,  since  it  shows  the  growth  of 
confidence  in  flying.  Thousands  of  people 
have  thus  become  familiar  with  air-travel 
from  experience,  thus  preparing  the  public 
for  the  air-lines  of  to-morrow. 

Any  devotee  of  the  camera  will  find 
a  unique  pleasure  in  aero-photography. 
Viewed  from  above  every  landscape  gains 
new  and  surprising  values.  The  most  fa- 
miliar scenes,  by  a  curious  trick  of  perspec- 
tive, are  completely  transformed.  A  fas- 
cinating field  of  experiment  in  photography 
remains  to  be  explored  directly  above  our 
heads.  With  the  progress  of  the  war,  aero- 
photography  has  become  a  fine  art.  For- 
tunes have  been  spent  in  building  special 
cameras  to  solve  the  new  problems  of  air 
photography.  The  most  approved  type  of 
hand-camera  used  before  the  war  was  found 

78 


An  aeroplane  camera  with  pistol  grip 


A  remarkable  aeroplane  photograph  of  the  trenches  during  a  battle 


THE  AERO-SPORTSMAN 

to  be  inefficient  under  the  new  conditions. 
The  Germans  were  the  first  to  invent  a  cam- 
era with  a  pistol  grip  which  could  be  aimed 
and  "fired"  with  a  single  movement.  Later 
a  special  camera,  three  feet  or  more  in 
length,  was  devised  which  is  set  permanently 
in  the  floor  of  the  aeroplane  car.  Still  an- 
other camera  has  been  invented  in  the 
United  States  in  which  a  fresh  film  is  placed 
in  position  and  exposed  by  a  single  move- 
ment. By  pulling  a  strap,  ten  pictures  may 
be  taken  in  a  second  and  hundreds  of  ex- 
posures made  without  reloading.  The  air 
man  in  passing  over  trenches,  for  instance, 
may  catch  every  detail  of  the  earth  below 
him,  while  keeping  both  hands  free  to  ope- 
rate his  machine. 

Successful  photographs  have  been  made  at 
an  altitude  of  more  than  two  miles.  By  en- 
larging these  negatives,  a  stretch  of  country 
may  be  mapped  with  amazing  detail.  The 
aero-photographer  has  also  solved  many  at- 
mospheric problems  which  completely  baf- 
fled him  a  year  or  so  ago.  He  has  learned 
to  judge  the  value  of  mists  or  clouds  and 
take  photographs  which  would  have  been  im- 
81 


THE  AIR  MAN 

possible  in  the  past.  It  often  happens,  for 
instance,  that  the  earth  will  be  almost  com- 
pletely hidden  at  an  altitude  of  one  thousand 
feet  while,  by  climbing  a  thousand  feet 
higher,  the  camera  will  "shoot"  through  the 
clouds  and  catch  perfectly  clear  pictures. 
The  artistic  possibilities  of  aero-photogra- 
phy are  still  a  virgin  field.  As  the  aircraft 
becomes  more  common  and  both  amateur 
and  professional  camera  men  come  to  work 
aloft,  the  new  photography  will  doubtless 
become  one  of  the  most  fascinating  of  the 
arts. 

An  airship,  by  the  way,  especially  when 
aloft,  is  the  most  democratic  vehicle  in  the 
world.  A  sudden  rise  in  altitude  plays  curi- 
ous tricks  with  accepted  social  relations. 
To  indulge  in  mixed  metaphor,  the  aero- 
plane may  be  said  to  be  a  great  leveler. 
From  centuries  of  custom,  the  driver  or 
footman  of  the  ordinary  land  vehicle  has 
come  to  be  accepted  as  a  menial,  and  his 
manners  have  grown  correspondingly  ser- 
vile. On  receiving  an  order  he  touches  his 
hat,  and  stands  at  attention.  An  improve- 
ment may  be  noticed  with  the  introduction 

82 


THE  AERO-SPORTSMAN 

of  the  automobile.  The  chauffeur  is  more 
nearly  the  equal  of  the  owner,  and  may  even 
discuss  problems  of  fuel  or  speed  and  hold 
opinions  of  his  own. 

Aboard  an  aircraft,  for  the  time  being  at 
least,  all  class  distinctions  are  forgotten. 
An  American  whose  wealth  and  social  posi- 
tion are  famous  on  two  continents  recently 
made  an  air  voyage  with  his  wife  to  a  high 
altitude.  On  meeting  their  pilot,  both  were 
extremely  dignified  and  gracious.  As  the 
craft  rose  higher  and  higher,  however,  and 
the  earth  became  a  mere  blur  below  them, 
social  conventions  began  to  relax.  At  an 
altitude  of  more  than  a  mile,  the  pilot  found 
it  necessary  to  ask  for  directions. 

"Pardon  me,  Mr.  Blank/'  he  began  for- 
mally, "may  I  ask — " 

"Oh,  never  mind  that,"  interrupted  the 
passenger  hastily,  "Call  me  Jim.  My  wife's 
name  is  Mary.  What  do  you  want  to 
know?" 


CHAPTER  IV 

AERO-EXPLORATION    AND   ADVENTURE 

THE  aeroplane  is  the  ideal  vehicle  for 
the  explorer.  Instead  of  toiling  la- 
boriously through  trackless  wastes,  the  air 
man  overleaps  all  obstacles,  and  traverses 
the  most  inaccessible  parts  of  the  globe  at  a 
pace  which,  to  the  explorers  of  the  past, 
would  seem  magical.  How  many  of  us  re- 
alize that  only  one  seventh  of  the  land  sur- 
face of  the  earth  has  been  scientifically 
mapped?  The  total  land  area,  including 
the  arctic  and  antarctic  regions,  is  about 
60,000,000  square  miles,  and  there  still  re- 
mains 30,000,000  square  miles  of  which  our 
topographical  knowledge  is  sketchy,  and 
8,000,000  square  miles  entirely  unsurveyed 
and  unmapped.  It  is  estimated  that,  at  the 
present  rate  of  progress,  this  work  will  not 
be  accomplished  in  less  than  two  hundred 
years.  With  the  aid  of  the  aeroplane,  the 

84 


AERO-EXPLORATION 

world's  survey  may  be  completed  in  twenty 
years,  adding  vastly  to  our  geographical 
knowledge,  and  saving  an  enormous  ex- 
penditure of  life  and  money. 

The  aeroplane  doubtless  will  soon  revolu- 
tionize all  arctic  exploration.  Within  a  few 
years  air  men  will  penetrate  the  unknown 
regions  within  the  arctic  and  antarctic  circles 
and  dispel  the  mystery  of  centuries.  It  has 
been  estimated  that  an  explorer,  with  the  aid 
of  a  flying  craft,  could  cover  more  territory 
in  one  day  than  could  be  explored  by  dog- 
sledges  in  two  months.  An  attempt  was 
once  made  by  Walter  Wellman  to  penetrate 
the  polar  regions  by  means  of  a  dirigible 
balloon.  A  base  was  established  on  the 
coast  of  Norway,  but  after  many  trials  the 
attempt  was  abandoned. 

Profiting  by  this  experience,  the  arctic  ex- 
plorers have  decided  that  the  ideal  craft  for 
such  work  is  the  hydro-aeroplane.  Unlike 
the  balloon,  the  aeroplane  is  not  sensitive  to 
extreme  cold,  and  can  negotiate  high  winds. 
The  aircraft  designed  for  arctic  work  is 
mounted  on  pontoons  and  runners  instead 
of  wheels,  since  it  must  rise  and  land  from 
85 


THE  AIR  MAN 

ice  or  water.  The  hull  should  be  covered 
with  walrus  hide  to  guard  against  damage 
from  sharp  pieces  of  ice.  Exploration  will 
be  comparatively  simple  with  such  craft  both 
over  water  and  land.  The  aeroplane  will 
sail  quickly  across  seas  of  floating  ice  in 
which  no  vessel,  however  staunch,  could 
live. 

The  pilots  of  these  exploring  planes,  even 
when  aloft,  will  be  able  to  measure  distances 
or  determine  their  position  with  reasonable 
accuracy  by  scientific  observations.  With 
the  aid  of  a  watch  and  sextant  it  is  possible 
to  fix  a  position  within  two  minutes  of  an 
arc,  or  about  two  miles.  Such  readings,  of 
course,  can  be  made  while  in  the  air.  The 
air  man  will  be  obliged  to  enter  on  his  log  the 
actual  speed  of  his  machine  which  he  calcu- 
lates from  the  revolutions  of  his  propeller. 
When  flying  for  long  distances  over  the 
trackless  snow,  there  are  naturally  no  land- 
marks. Allowance  must  be  made  for  the 
drift  of  the  machine,  or  the  distance  the  wind 
carries  it  off  its  course.  The  drift-indicator 
which  is  now  a  part  of  the  air  pilot's  equip- 
ment enables  him  to  make  corrections  so  ac- 

86 


AERO-EXPLORATION 

curately  that  there  is  little  chance  for  mis- 
takes in  flights  of  less  than  four  hundred 
miles.  The  wind  that  blows  over  the  level 
seas  in  these  regions  is  not  broken  up  by 
mountains  and  valleys,  but  flows  steadily 
and  can  be  definitely  counted  upon. 

One  of  the  most  serious  difficulties  in 
aerial  navigation  in  the  arctic  regions  is  the 
disturbing  effect  of  the  magnetic  poles  upon 
ordinary  types  of  the  compass.  This  will  be 
guarded  against  by  installing  two  gyroscopic 
compasses  on  each  aeroplane,  one  to  indicate 
the  true  north  and  the  other  the  longitude. 
The  importance  of  accurate  observations 
cannot  be  exaggerated.  In  traveling  hun- 
dreds of  miles  over  trackless  regions,  it 
would  be  impossible,  of  course,  for  the  air 
man  to  "blaze  his  way/'  as  it  were,  or  follow 
his  own  track  in  returning  to  his  base.  If  he 
could  not  depend  upon  accurate  readings  to 
determine  his  position,  he  might  become 
hopelessly  lost. 

The  possibilities  of  aerial  exploration  of 

the  arctic  regions  are  almost  boundless.     A 

few  days'  flying  would  solve  the  century  old 

problem  as  to  whether  a  continent  or  an 

87 


THE  AIR  MAN 

archipelago  occupies  the  region  of  500,000 
square  miles  between  Alaska  and  the  pole. 
It  is  believed  by  some  explorers  again  that 
enormous  deposits  of  coal  may  be  discovered 
in  this  region.  The  direction  of  many  mys- 
terious currents  flowing  from  the  arctic  re- 
gions could  at  last  be  determined  by  aerial 
exploration.  An  immense  amount  of  inval- 
uable information  would  be  brought  back 
concerning  animal  and  plant  life  in  these  re- 
mote regions,  and  maps  of  the  region  could 
be  definitely  drawn. 

The  first  polar  explorations  to  employ 
aeroplanes  will  be  those  headed  by  Captain 
Amundsen  and  Captain  Bartlett,  now  being 
organized.  One  of  the  expeditions  will  en- 
ter the  polar  region  by  way  of  Bering 
Strait,  the  other  by  a  route  north  from 
Norway  and  the  Kara  Sea.  Both  parties 
will  be  provisioned  for  five  years.  It  is  be- 
lieved that  the  aerial  equipment  will  make  it 
possible  for  the  first  time  in  history  to  com- 
plete the  maps  of  the  region  covered.  The 
aeroplanes  will  be  employed  in  making  sur- 
veys and  for  photographic  work.  A  special 
effort  will  be  made  to  determine  the  course 
88 


o 

I. 

I 


AERO-EXPLORATION 

of  the  mysterious  drift-currents,  and  it  is 
believed  that  the  two  expeditions  will  be  able 
to  keep  in  touch  with  each  other  by  means  of 
aeroplanes.  Should  either  of  the  ships  be 
crushed  in  the  ice,  the  crew  of  the  wrecked 
vessel  can  be  transferred  to  the  other  expedi- 
tion and  food  and  supplies  exchanged  by  air- 
route.  Admiral  Peary  looks  forward  to  the 
day  when  the  earth  will  be  circumnavigated 
by  aeroplane  by  way  of  the  two  poles. 

The  exploration  of  New  Guinea,  now 
being  planned,  also  illustrates  the  possibili- 
ties of  aeroplane  exploration.  The  interior 
of  New  Guinea  contains  the  largest  area  of 
unexplored  territory  to  be  found  anywhere 
in  the  world.  It  is  an  easy  matter  to  reach 
any  point  along  its  coast,  but  no  white  man 
has  yet  penetrated  the  region  contained  in  a 
great  square  whose  sides  measure  some  350 
miles.  Here  are  to  be  found  the  pigmy  races 
known  as  the  Tapario  and  Goliath  dwarfs, 
and  a  curious  mammal  which  hatches  its 
young  from  eggs;  and  many  little  known 
natural  curiosities. 

The  exploration  of  this  region  by  aero- 
plane has  been  planned  by  the  Swedish  scien- 


THE  AIR  MAN 

list  and  explorer,  Dr.  Eric  Mjoberg.  The 
aerial  distance  from  the  coast  of  the  island 
to  the  center  of  this  unknown  region  is  only 
about  230  miles.  Dr.  Mjoberg  plans  to  es- 
tablish one  or  more  aerial  bases  on  the  coast, 
from  which  scouting  expeditions  will  fly  to 
discover  landing  places  and  sites  for  camps 
in  the  interior.  Two  aeroplanes  will  be 
used;  one  a  high-powered  machine,  and  a 
second,  a  lighter  model.  The  large  machine 
will  carry  five  passengers  and  an  additional 
load  of  1000  pounds  of  supplies. 

The  exploring  party  will  include  several 
scientists,  a  map-maker,  a  moving-picture 
man,  a  taxidermist  and  many  assistants. 
Once  the  main  base  has  been  established  on 
the  coast,  the  scouting  planes  will  select  the 
best  sites  for  inland  camps.  A  flight  of  a 
few  hours  will  enable  the  map-makers  to  ob- 
tain his  observations.  The  light  machine 
will  be  used  by  the  moving  picture  operator. 
The  heavier  machine  will  carry  members  of 
the  expedition  with  their  scientific  instru- 
ments from  the  bases  to  the  camps  in  the  in- 
terior. The  collections  gathered  inland  will 
be  carried  back  to  the  coast  by  aeroplane 

92 


AERO-EXPLORATION 

where  the  taxidermist  will  continue  his 
work,  and  the  various  specimens  preserved 
and  classified  at  leisure.  The  distances  to 
be  covered  by  the  aeroplanes  are  compara- 
tively trifling.  The  camps  furthest  inland 
will  scarcely  be  more  than  two  hundred 
miles  from  the  coast,  so  that  a  flight  of  three 
hours  or  less  will  replace  the  tedious  and 
dangerous  journeys  of  weeks  that  otherwise 
would  be  required  to  penetrate  these  wilds. 
Only  by  aeroplane  could  observations 
have  been  taken  of  the  San  Diego  flood 
which  later  proved  so  valuable  to  the  relief 
expeditions.  The  flood  was  caused  by  the 
breaking  of  a  large  dam,  the  waters  behind  it 
inundating  an  immense  area  with  great  loss 
of  life  and  property.  All  ordinary  means  of 
communication  was  destroyed.  Railroads 
were  wiped  out ;  and  the  telephone  and  tele- 
graph lines  went  down.  Relief  expeditions 
were  quickly  organized,  but  none  could  reach 
the  stricken  area.  After  many  efforts  had 
been  made  to  reach  the  district  by  automo- 
bile, on  horseback  and  afoot,  a  flying-boat 
was  pressed  into  service,  and  the  desired  in- 
formation secured  within  an  hour. 
93 


THE  AIR  MAN 

From  this  aeroplane  which  flew  as  low  as 
two  hundred  feet,  every  detail  of  the  flood 
was  clearly  visible.  At  times  the  machine 
rose  to  a  height  of  two  thousand  feet  from 
whence  a  panorama  of  the  entire  devastated 
area  could  be  studied.  The  condition  of  the 
broken  dam  was  ascertained  and  the  exact 
course  taken  by  the  rivers  that  had  swept  the 
country.  The  air  men  flew  above  two  val- 
leys which  had  been  inundated,  and  observed 
in  detail  the  wrecked  houses  and  abandoned 
ranches.  Many  bodies  were  seen  floating  in 
the  flood  or  caught  in  the  wreckage.  At  one 
point  a  number  of  survivors  were  discovered 
trying  to  save  from  the  wreckage  the  re- 
mains of  their  houses.  The  air  men  ascer- 
tained where  survivors  were  held  prisoners 
by  the  water,  and  along  which  channel  boats 
could  proceed  to  help  them.  On  returning, 
the  air  men  were  able  to  direct  the  relief 
work,  thus  saving  many  lives. 

In  the  Mesopotamian  campaign  of  the 
Great  War,  airships  were  used  for  the  first 
time  in  history  to  carry  food  to  a  starving 
garrison.  A  British  force  at  Kut-el-Amara 
was  surrounded  by  Turkish  forces  and  com- 

94 


AERO-EXPLORATION 

pletely  cut  off  from  supplies.  A  fleet  of 
aeroplanes  was  employed  for  nearly  three 
weeks  to  fly  from  the  nearest  British  base 
with  food  and  mails,  and,  after  dodging  the 
Turkish  fire,  to  drop  the  supplies  from  a 
point  above  the  garrison.  Only  six  ma- 
chines were  available  and  of  these,  two  were 
of  old  types,  but  during  the  period  from 
April  1 1  to  29,  eighteen  thousand  pounds  of 
supplies  were  actually  delivered  to  the  be- 
leaguered garrison.  During  this  time  the 
Turks  brought  down  but  one  aeroplane,  the 
pilot  being  killed  and  the  observer  wounded. 
The  supplies  did  not  prove  sufficient,  how- 
ever, and  the  garrison  was  lost.  With  the 
aid  of  a  larger  aerial  squadron  enough  food 
and  ammunition  could  have  been  trans- 
ported to  save  the  garrison. 

During  the  East  African  campaign  of  this 
war,  a  British  aeroplane,  carrying  a  pilot 
and  scout,  was  detailed  to  reconnoiter  a  Ger- 
man position  more  than  one  hundred  miles 
distant,  and  far  behind  the  enemy's  lines. 
The  flight  to  the  objective  and  return  must, 
of  course,  be  made  without  alighting,  or  the 
air  men  would  undoubtedly  be  captured. 
95 


THE  AIR  MAN 

The  hostile  aeroplane  was  closely  watched 
by  the  Germans  and  repeatedly  shelled.  By 
rising  to  a  considerable  altitude  and  giving 
the  batteries  a  wide  berth,  the  air  men  man- 
aged, however,  to  dodge  the  thousands  of 
bullets  aimed  at  them,  which  in  itself  was  a 
sufficiently  perilous  undertaking. 

After  a  flight  of  one  and  a  half  hours,  the 
objective  point  was  reached  in  safety. 
Here  a  new  danger  confronted  them.  The 
aeroplane  must  be  brought  near  enough  to 
earth  to  make  detailed  observations,  which 
naturally  brought  it  within  range  of  the 
trench  guns.  The  scouts  must  depend  upon 
their  airmanship  skill  to  dodge  the  enemy's 
fire.  Flying  at  top  speed,  or  better  than 
a  hundred  miles  an  hour,  the  aircraft 
swooped  down  at  a  terrifying  angle  and, 
swerving  suddenly  to  one  side,  again 
mounted  rapidly,  followed  by  a  hail  of  bul- 
lets, until  a  safe  altitude  had  been  reached. 
So  far  the  aeroplane  had  dodged  every  shot, 
and  in  high  spirits  the  air  men  turned  toward 
home  and  safety. 

The  scouting  plane  was  flying  at  an  alti- 
tude of  seven  thousand  feet  when  its  engine 


AERO-EXPLORATION 

suddenly  went  "dead."  The  pilot  glided 
down  as  "flat"  as  possible,  using  every  trick 
meanwhile  to  make  his  engine  "pick  up." 
Several  miles  had  been  covered  without 
power  and  the  aeroplane  had  descended  to 
within  two  hundred  feet  of  the  earth,  when 
the  pilot  found  himself  directly  above  some 
German  trenches.  Hundreds  of  upturned 
faces  could  be  seen  and  several  bullets  rat- 
tled against  the  armored  floor  of  the  car. 

The  pilot  still  struggled  with  his  engine. 
He  had  even  looked  below  to  pick  a  landing- 
place  when  the  engine  suddenly  "picked  up," 
the  aeroplane  darted  forward  and,  in  a  mo- 
ment, the  trenches  were  left  far  behind. 
Five  minutes  later,  however,  the  engine 
again  stopped,  and  this  time  there  was  no 
escape.  The  pilot  was  obliged  to  land  in  an 
open  space  covered  with  tall  grass.  He 
"stalled"  his  machine,  holding  it  off  the 
ground  until  it  had  lost  all  flying  speed,  but 
at  the  last  moment  it  side-slipped  and  broke 
a  wing  in  landing.  Both  airmen  alighted 
without  injuries,  but  the  aeroplane  was  now 
useless.  Measured  by  the  speed  of  their 
machine,  the  air  men  were  but  thirty  min- 
97 


THE  AIR  MAN 

utes  from  safety,  but  the  fifty  miles  that  sep- 
arated them  from  the  frontier,  negotiated  on 
foot,  proved  a  formidable  barrier.  For  two 
days  they  wandered  through  the  jungle 
without  food  or  water,  their  clothes  torn  to 
rags.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  third  day 
they  staggered  into  a  kraal,  and  covering  the 
natives  with  their  revolvers,  demanded  food. 
A  runner  was  despatched  who  returned  in 
a  few  hours  with  assistance.  Next  day  the 
air  men  returned  to  their  machine  and,  after 
hasty  repairs,  succeeded  in  flying  back  to 
their  base. 

One  of  the  most  valuable  services  of  aero- 
planes in  the  Great  War  has  been  their  as- 
sistance in  spotting  the  fall  of  shots.  In 
countless  battles  both  on  land  and  sea  they 
have  served  as  the  eyes  of  land  batteries  or 
war  ships,  thus  greatly  extending  their 
range  of  vision.  From  their  position  high 
aloft,  perhaps  directly  above  the  target  the 
aeroplane  pilots  observe  the  effect  of  the 
fire,  and  give  minute  direction  for  altering 
the  range.  Such  observation  was  incon- 
ceivable in  warfare  until  a  few  years  ago. 

Although  valuable  observations  have  been 
98 


AERO-EXPLORATION 


made  from  aeroplanes  and  balloons  in  the 
past,  it  was  practically  impossible  for  the 
observers  to  communicate  with  their  bases 
without  serious  delays.  The  use  of  wire- 
less electricity  has  changed  all  this.  As  late 
as  1914,  or  the  year  before  the  War,  the 
wireless  outfits  were  bulky  affairs,  weighing 
from  three  to  five  pounds  for  every  mile  of 
transmission.  The  aeroplanes  of  that  pe- 
riod could  carry  comparatively  little  weight 
so  that  wireless  apparatus  of  effective  range 
could  not  be  taken  aloft.  The  system  has 
been  so  perfected  that  to-day  the  wireless 
sets  weigh  only  one  pound  for  every  mile 
of  transmission,  and  the  carrying  capacity 
of  the  aeroplanes  meanwhile  have  been 
greatly  increased. 

A  striking  example  of  this  service  of  the 
aeroplane  is  afforded  by  the  attack  on  the 
German  cruiser  Konigsberg  in  July,  1915. 
The  cruiser  had  taken  refuge  in  the  Rufigi 
River  in  East  Africa,  where  it  was  com- 
pletely hidden  by  tropical  foliage.  The 
British  Monitor  Savern  engaged  in  the  at- 
tack sent  up  a  scouting  aeroplane  and  di- 
rected its  fire  entirely  by  the  advice  of  the 
101 


THE  AIR  MAN 

air  pilot.  The  first  shots  fell  wide  of  the 
mark,  but  the  aeroplane  observer  aloft  was 
able  to  report  the  effect  of  each  shot  almost 
instantaneously.  The  range  was  quickly 
found  in  a  few  minutes  and  eight  of  the 
next  twelve  shots  took  effect,  putting  the 
cruiser  out  of  commission  and  setting  her 
on  fire. 

The  use  of  aeroplanes  by  our  coast-guards 
will  doubtless  effect  the  saving  of  hundreds 
of  lives  every  year  in  sea  disasters.  A  care- 
ful analysis  has  been  made  of  wrecks  along 
the  Atlantic  seaboard  during  the  past  year 
to  determine  the  usefulness  of  air  craft. 
The  coast-guard  cutter  Onondaga,  which 
patrols  the  coast  from  Cape  Hatteras  to 
Delaware  breakwater,  responded  in  one  year 
to  eighty-three  calls  for  help.  In  thirty 
eight  of  these  wrecks  the  aeroplanes  would 
have  been  invaluable  in  saving  life  and  prop- 
erty. The  Acting  Secretary  of  the  Treas- 
ury, Byron  R.  Newton,  proposes  to  establish 
ten  aviation  stations  along  the  Pacific,  Gulf, 
Atlantic  and  Lake  shores  where  the  statis- 
tics of  maritime  disasters  show  these  to  be 
most  needed.  The  air  men  will  supplement 
102 


AERO-EXPLORATION 

the  work  of  the  coast-guards  already  estab- 
lished. It  is  proposed  to  use  high-powered 
air-boats  for  this  service  which  can  fly  in 
high  winds  and  land  upon  the  water  along- 
side ships  in  distress.  These  boats  can 
carry  a  score  of  passengers  and  would  be  in- 
valuable in  life-saving. 


103 


CHAPTER  V 

AERIAL   TRANSPORTATION 

IN  a  great  national  crisis,  a  threatened 
invasion  for  instance,  a  quorum  of  Con- 
gress might  be  assembled  in  an  incredibly 
short  time  by  the  general  use  of  the  aero- 
plane, thus  saving  priceless  minutes.  The 
first  official  flight  to  Washington  was  made 
by  Congressman  O.  D.  Bleakley,  of  Penn- 
sylvania in  the  autumn  of  1916.  Driven  by 
Sergeant  Ocker  of  the  Flying  Corps,  Mr. 
Bleakley  took  the  air  at  Philadelphia  at  two- 
thirty  one  afternoon,  flying  at  an  altitude  of 
about  a  mile.  The  distance  from  Baltimore 
to  Washington  was  covered  in  twenty-five 
minutes,  making  less  than  three  hours  for 
the  entire  trip.  The  landing  was  negotiated 
without  mishap  on  the  polo  grounds.  The 
congressman,  who  is  over  sixty  years  of  age, 
was  enthusiastic  about  his  flight,  and  proph- 
esied the  common  use  of  the  aeroplane  by 
104 


AERIAL  TRANSPORTATION 

busy  people  who  are  in  a  hurry.  It  is  inter- 
esting to  recall  that  George  Washington  was 
severely  criticized,  even  ridiculed,  for  once 
prophesying  that  the  time  for  carrying  the 
mails  between  Philadelphia  and  New  York, 
then  the  national  capital,  might  some  day 
be  reduced  to  less  than  twenty- four  hours. 

The  first  aerial  fleet  to  go  aloft  on  a  pleas- 
ure cruise  in  America  was  the  "football 
special"  which  flew  (1916)  from  New  York 
to  Princeton,  New  Jersey.  The  squadron 
comprised  twelve  passenger-carrying  aero- 
planes driven  by  Government  pilots.  Ten 
of  the  machines  rose  from  the  Government 
aviation  field  at  Mineola  at  one  minute  inter- 
vals. On  climbing  to  an  altitude  of  one 
thousand  feet,  they  circled  about  until  all 
were  aloft,  when  Lieutenant  Kilner,  the 
commanding  officer  of  the  squadron,  sig- 
naled for  battle  formation.  The  fleet 
quickly  fell  into  line,  and  in  a  few  seconds 
shrank  to  the  size  of  a  flock  of  swallows  and 
disappeared.  Two  other  machines  with 
passengers  stood  waiting  at  Governors  Is- 
land, and,  on  the  first  appearance  of  the  main 
fleet,  rose  to  join  them.  The  flotilla  hovered 
105 


THE  AIR  MAN 

over  New  York  harbor  for  a  few  moments 
until  the  new-comers  had  taken  their  posi- 
tions in  line,  when  the  flight  was  resumed. 

Throughout  this  trip  only  two  of  the  ma- 
chines were  forced  to  alight  and  none  expe- 
rienced serious  difficulty.  One  of  the  flyers, 
Lieutenant  William  Thaw,  had  some  minor 
engine  trouble  and  volplaned  to  earth  near 
Flushing,  but  soon  rose  and  resumed  the 
flight.  Another  aviator  became  separated 
from  the  squadron,  lost  his  bearings  and 
soon  found  himself  approaching  Atlantic 
City,  which  is  separated  from  Princeton  by 
the  entire  width  of  the  State.  Such  was  the 
speed  of  the  air  men,  however,  that  all 
reached  Princeton  in  time  for  the  game, 
where  their  regulation  leather  coats  and  fly- 
ing suits  attracted  great  attention.  The 
flight  had  a  more  serious  purpose,  however, 
than  the  pleasure  of  attending  the  foot-ball 
game,  since  it  served  as  a  military  test  for 
cross-country  work. 

A  squadron  of  twelve  army  aeroplanes 

flew,    a    few    weeks    later,    under    severe 

weather    conditions    over   the   Government 

course  between  Mineola  station  near  New 

1 06 


AERIAL  TRANSPORTATION 

York  and  League  Island  Navy  Yard  at 
Philadelphia.  The  thermometer  at  start- 
ing registered  ten  degrees,  but  aloft  the  cold 
was  intense  and  a  gale  which  blew  in  the 
high  altitudes  severely  tested  the  airman- 
ship of  the  pilots.  The  squadron  flew  at  a 
height  of  about  five  thousand  feet,  cover- 
ing the  distance  of  115  miles  at  a  speed 
above  one  hundred  miles  an  hour.  The  air 
men  were  covered  with  ice  and  had  to  be 
literally  thawed  out  before  they  could  be 
freed  from  the  pilot-seats. 

A  heavy  mist  completely  hid  the  earth 
from  aloft,  and  even  on  descending  to  lower 
levels,  the  snow  which  blanketed  the  coun- 
try obliterated  every  landmark.  Several 
of  the  aviators  failed  to  recognize  any  city 
or  town  over  the  entire  distance.  The 
course  had  to  be  steered  entirely  by  compass 
and  other  instruments  used  in  air  naviga- 
tion. Nevertheless  the  squadron  followed 
the  invisible  course  with  wonderful  accu- 
racy. Despite  the  unprecedented  difficul- 
ties, the  distance  between  New  York  and 
Philadelphia  was  covered  in  about  half  the 
time  made  by  the  fastest  trains. 
107 


THE  AIR  MAN 

How  simple  a  matter  a  long  city-to-city 
flight  has  become  is  shown  by  the  New 
York  to  Washington  trip  made  by  Mr.  Alan 
R.  Hawley,  President  of  the  Aero  Club. 
The  start  was  made  shortly  after  seven 
o'clock  one  clear  morning  from  Sheepshead 
Bay  near  New  York.  Just  as  a  carrier- 
pigeon  first  circles  about  to  get  its  direction, 
the  aeroplane  rose  in  great  circles,  quickly 
climbing  to  an  altitude  of  six  thousand  feet. 
On  the  third  circle  at  7:23  A.  M.,  the  pilot 
turned  his  craft  southward.  New  York 
harbor  lay  in  a  great  panorama  far  below  as 
they  swept  across  the  Narrows,  skirted  the 
Staten  Island  shore  and  gained  the  main- 
land at  Perth  Amboy. 

The  cities  along  the  route  were  reached 
in  swift  succession.  "We  had  barely 
passed  a  city/7  says  Mr.  Hawley,  "and 
I  would  be  looking  for  prominent  land- 
marks and  studying  the  topography  of  the 
land  for  future  use,  when  another  city 
would  loom  in  sight  and  we  would  quickly 
pass  it."  Following  the  railroad  tracks,  the 
aeroplane  had  soon  left  Trenton  behind, 
and  in  an  incredibly  short  time  was  flying 
108 


r 


AERIAL  TRANSPORTATION 

smoothly  over  Philadelphia.  The  wind 
which  had  retarded  the  flight  at  first, 
changed  to  shifty  currents  just  outside  of 
Baltimore.  This  was  the  only  rough 
weather  encountered.  So  rapid  was  the 
flight  that  within  five  minutes  after  passing 
over  Baltimore  the  Washington  Monument 
was  sighted.  A  perfect  landing  was  made 
on  the  polo  grounds,  when  Mr.  Hawley  pro- 
ceeded at  once  to  call  upon  President  Wil- 
son, Secretary  Daniels  and  other  officials. 
The  entire  flight  of  237  miles  was  made  in 
184  minutes,  establishing  a  new  record  be- 
tween the  cities. 

The  air  man  is  constantly  finding  new 
lines  of  activity,  usually  highly  profitable, 
for  his  skill  and  courage.  In  South  Amer- 
ica the  aeroplane  has  been  used  with  great 
success  in  surveying  remote  areas,  where 
its  speed  readily  outclasses  the  laborious 
chainmen.  An  enterprising  mining  com- 
pany in  Mexico  is  about  to  utilize  aero- 
planes for  carrying  ores  under  unique  con- 
ditions. The  ore  is  mined  at  an  altitude  of 
some  ten  thousand  feet,  and  carried  to  the 
valley  below  by  pack-mules.  The  mules 
in 


THE  AIR  MAN 

carry  only  small  loads,  two  thirds  of  which 
consist  of  fodder  and  provisions.  Several 
days  are  required  to  wind  down  the  tortu- 
ous path  on  the  mountain's  sides.  The  aer- 
oplanes can  volplane  to  the  valley  in  a  few 
minutes,  and  have  no  trouble,  without  their 
loads,  in  reaching  the  ten  thousand  foot  al- 
titude. 

The  herds  of  cattle  which  graze  on  the 
great  i87,ooo-acre  San  Cristobal  Ranch  in 
New  Mexico,  once  required  the  attention  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty  cowboys.  By  using 
automobiles  the  herding  was  done  as  well 
by  seven  men.  The  management  is  now 
installing  air  men,  whose  vastly  superior 
speed  will  "round  up"  the  most  widely  scat- 
tered herds  with  great  saving  of  time  and 
money.  A  great  future  is  prophesied  for 
the  aero-cow-puncher. 

The  first  aerial  lineman  started  on  his 
unique  round  of  duties  more  than  three 
years  ago.  An  experienced  air  man,  Rob- 
ert G.  Fowler,  was  engaged  by  a  power 
company  in  Sacramento,  California,  to 
carry  an  expert  once  a  week  to  inspect  two 
divisions  of  wire  lines  some  sixty-eight 
112 


AERIAL  TRANSPORTATION 

miles  in  length.  The  wires  are  strung  over 
several  valleys,  the  deltas  of  the  Sacra- 
mento and  San  Joaquin  Rivers,  and  into  the 
Contra  Costa  Range  of  mountains,  where 
their  elevation  is  at  times  two  thousand 
feet.  A  large  force  of  men  had  previously 
been  required  to  patrol  the  lines,  looking  for 
broken  insulators,  fallen  wires,  and  other 
damages.  The  work  was  done  much  better 
by  a  single  aerial  lineman.  It  was  found 
that  a  broken  insulator  could  be  discovered 
while  flying  at  an  altitude  of  one  thousand 
feet. 

The  first  commercial  air  line  in  America,  if 
not  in  the  world,  was  established  early  in 
1914  between  St.  Petersburg  and  Tampa, 
Florida.  Four  -regular  trips  were  made 
daily,  the  rate  being  five  dollars  for  a  single 
trip  and  ten  dollars  for  a  return-trip  ticket. 
The  regular  route  by  steamer  between  the 
two  points  was  about  fifty  miles,  and  took 
three  hours.  The  distance  by  the  air-route 
was  but  nineteen  miles,  which  was  covered 
on  regular  schedule  in  twenty  minutes. 
The  time  tables  contained  the  following  in- 
teresting announcement : 


THE  AIR  MAN 

Passengers  are  allowed  a  weight  of  200  pounds 
gross  including  hand  baggage,  excess  charged  at  $5. 
per  100  pounds,  minimum  charge,  25  cents.  Ex- 
press rates  for  packages,  suit  cases,  mail  matter, 
etc.,  $5.  per  100  pounds,  minimum  charge,  25  cents. 
Express  carried  from  hangar  to  hangar  only,  deliv- 
ery and  receipt  by  shipper. 

An  aero-postmark  on  the  stamp  of  our  let- 
ters will  soon  be  a  commonplace.  Within  a 
year  or  two  we  will  probably  be  measuring 
the  time  for  the  transportation  of  mails  by 
the  speed  of  the  aeroplane,  instead  of  the  ex^ 
press  train.  Letters  have  been  carried  ex- 
perimentally by  the  air-route  for  thousands 
of  miles.  An  appropriation  of  $100,000  is 
now  being  considered  by  Congress  for  exper- 
imenting with  aero-mail  service.  The  aero- 
mails  will  make  almost  as  great  an  advance 
upon  our  present  express-train  service  as 
steam  travel  improved  on  the  primitive  mail- 
coach. 

The  first  aero-post  stamps  were  issued  in 
1912  in  the  United  States,  Argentina  and 
Austria.  The  American  stamp,  which 
doubtless  will  some  day  be  priceless,  was  sold 
for  twenty  cents.  It  bore  the  title,  "U.  S. 

114 


AERIAL  TRANSPORTATION 

Parcel  Post.  Aeroplane  Carrying  Mail/' 
with  a  picture  of  an  aeroplane.  As  a  matter 
of  historic  interest,  the  first  experiment  was 
made  at  Nassau  Boulevard,  Long  Island,  on 
September  23,  1912.  A  number  of  isolated 
experiments  followed,  but  it  was  not  until 
February,  1916,  that  the  Post-Office  Depart- 
ment advertised  formally  for  bids  to  carry 
mails  by  aeroplane.  Eight  routes  were 
specified  as  available,  one  in  Massachusetts, 
and  seven  in  Alaska. 

The  proposed  Massachusetts  aero-post 
route  between  New  Bedford  and  Nantucket 
is  some  fifty-two  miles  by  air  line  which, 
under  ordinary  conditions,  takes  from  five 
to  six  hours  to  cover.  By  aeroplane  post  the 
average  time  of  transmission  would  be  less 
than  fifty  minutes.  The  maximum  load  of 
mail  between  these  points  is  three  thousand 
pounds,  which  could  readily  be  carried  by 
two  hydro-aeroplanes  in  six  loads  of  five 
hundred  pounds  each. 

The  saving  of  time  over  the  Alaskan 
routes,  where  mail  is  often  carried  by  dog- 
sleds,  is  even  more  striking.  There  are 
teven  routes  in  this  region,  from  two  hun- 


THE  AIR  MAN 

dred  to  three  hundred  miles  in  length,  where 
one  thousand  pounds  of  mail  is  carried  twice 
a  week.  In  several  cases  a  hundred  hours  is 
required  for  the  trip  which  the  aeroplane 
could  readily  travel  in  as  many  minutes. 
Since  the  appropriation  for  the  service  is 
often  as  high  as  $25,000  a  year,  it  is  obvious 
that  the  aeroplane  could  be  profitably  em- 
ployed. A  passenger-carrying  service  might 
also  be  introduced  in  this  region,  even  at  the 
present  rate  of  travel.  Over  most  of  these 
routes,  a  seat  in  the  stage-coach  costs  one 
hundred  dollars,  while  sleeping  quarters 
along  the  road  are  from  five  to  ten  dollars 
a  day.  The  time  saved  by  an  air-service 
would  solve  many  Alaskan  problems. 

The  first  air-borne  mail  to  pass  between 
Chicago  and  New  York  was  delivered  on 
December  3,  1916.  A  mail-pouch  with 
more  than  a  thousand  letters  and  post-cards 
was  carried  by  Victor  Carlstrom,  whose 
actual  flying  time  between  the  two  cities  was 
8  hours,  28  minutes  and  30  seconds.  Over 
part  of  the  route,  the  mail  was  carried  at  a 
speed  of  134  miles  an  hour. 

When  the  mail  aeroplane  came  to  earth 
116 


AERIAL  TRANSPORTATION 

at  Governors  Island  in  New  York  harbor, 
it  was  received  officially  by  Assistant-Super- 
intendent of  Mails  John  W.  Tiedamann  and 
rushed  to  the  New  York  post-office.  Many 
of  the  letters  to  local  addresses  were  deliv- 
ered by  special  messenger  within  half  an 
hour  of  the  landing  of  the  aeroplane.  This 
historic  mail  contained  letters  from  promi- 
nent Chicago  officials  to  President  Wilson, 
Theodore  Roosevelt,  Thomas  Edison  and 
others.  One  package  of  letters  was  de- 
spatched by  the  submarine-liner  Deutsch- 
land  to  Germany. 

The  first  scheduled  aero-mail-service  will 
probably  be  established  between  New  York 
and  Chicago.  The  experimental  stage  is 
past.  Officials  of  the  Post-Office  Depart- 
ment have  estimated  that  a  load  of  mail  in 
this  aero-service  may  weigh  from  five  hun- 
dred to  a  thousand  pounds.  In  the  begin- 
ning, only  first-class  mail  matter  will  be  ac- 
cepted for  aero-delivery.  The  mail  route 
between  the  two  cities,  measured  as  the  crow 
flies,  will  be  seven  hundred  and  twenty  miles 
in  length  instead  of  one  thousand  miles  by 
rail.  Judging  from  the  time  already  estab- 
117 


THE  AIR  MAN 

lished  over  this  route,  the  mail  aeroplanes 
will  cover  the  distance  in  from  six  to  four- 
teen hours,  with  an  average  time  of  about 
eight  hours.  To  meet  the  demands  of  busi- 
ness interests  in  the  two  cities,  it  is  planned 
to  have  the  mail  transported  at  night.  A 
letter  mailed  before  six  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon in  either  city  would  thus  be  delivered 
before  nine  the  following  morning.  Under 
very  favorable  conditions,  it  will  reach  its 
destination  shortly  after  midnight. 

The  best  route  for  the  aero-mail-service 
has  been  selected  with  great  care.  It  is 
planned  to  establish  three  relay  stations,  one 
near  Williamsport,  Pennsylvania,  another 
at  Niles,  Ohio,  and  the  third  at  Napoleon, 
Ohio.  Extra  machines  will  be  held  in  read- 
iness at  these  stations  with  materials  and 
tools  for  making  repairs,  as  well  as  fuel  and 
all  necessary  supplies.  To  save  every  pos- 
sible second  in  these  flights,  aeroplanes  will 
stand  in  readiness  with  their  propellers  spin- 
ning, so  that  the  moment  a  mail  aeroplane 
arrives,  the  pouches  will  be  transferred  in- 
stantly to  a  new  machine  and  be  in  the  air 
again  with  only  a  few  seconds'  delay.  The 
118 


A  passenger  Zeppelin  aloft 


Near  view  of  a  Zeppelin's  cabin 


AERIAL  TRANSPORTATION 

relay-station  will  be  marked  by  powerful 
guiding  lights,  visible  for  many  miles.  It  is 
even  planned  to  establish  lights  every  twenty 
miles  along  the  entire  course  so  that  the  mail 
aeroplanes  will  not  lose  their  way.  Sev- 
eral aero-mail-routes  will  doubtless  be  in 
operation  within  a  few  months. 

The  aero-mail-service  will  doubtless  soon 
be  followed  by  regular  passenger  transpor- 
tation over  the  same  route.  It  has  been  esti- 
mated that  a  regular  passenger  air-service 
between  New  York  and  Chicago  could  be 
maintained  to-day  if  passengers  were  will- 
ing to  pay  $250  each  for  the  trip.  In  time, 
the  mail  rate  for  long  distances  will  be  much 
less  than  that  of  taxicabs  at  present.  The 
great  expense  at  present  is  due  to  the  high 
pay  demanded  by  air  pilots  who  are  capable 
of  driving  aeroplanes  for  this  distance.  In 
the  course  of  a  few  years  the  supply  of  air- 
pilots  will  naturally  meet  the  demand.  We 
can  all  remember  the  early  days  of  flying 
when  a  fee  of  several  thousand  dollars  was 
demanded  by  an  aviator  for  flying  a  few 
miles.  To-day  thousands  of  air  pilots  are 
engaged  in  the  aviation  corps  of  many 
121 


THE  AIR  MAN 

armies  at  small  salaries.  It  is  safe  to 
prophesy  that  these  chauffeurs  of  the  air 
may  be  hired  within  a  few  years  at  a  cost 
of  around  fifty  dollars  a  week.  Regular 
passenger  air-traffic,  therefore,  seems  as- 
sured in  the  near  future  at  mileage  rates 
which  may  compete  successfully  with  those 
of  the  railroads. 

In  planning  cities  in  the  future,  provision 
must  be  made  for  suitable  aerodromes. 
Within  a  few  years,  aerial  passenger  and 
freight  travel  doubtless  will  be  of  such  vol- 
ume that  suitable  landing  places  will  have  to 
be  provided  regardless  of  expense.  Modern 
cities,  for  example,  have  been  allowed  to 
grow  without  any  provision  for  railroad 
terminals  in  central  locations,  and  enormous 
expense  has  been  incurred  by  running  tracks 
through  crowded  districts.  It  will  soon  be 
as  important  to  have  the  great  aerodromes 
convenient  to  the  hotel,  shopping  and  theater 
districts  of  cities  as  are  the  railroad  termi- 
nals to-day.  In  making  an  air  trip  between 
New  York  and  Philadelphia  at  present,  more 
time  is  required  to  travel  from  the  central 
districts  to  the  outskirts  of  the  cities  where 
122 


AERIAL  TRANSPORTATION 

the  aeroplanes  can  rise  or  land,  than  is  re- 
quired to  fly  the  ninety  miles  between  the 
two  cities.  The  city  aerodromes  must  be 
accessible  at  least  to  the  street-railways  and 
within  convenient  motoring  distance  by  taxi- 
cab  to  the  hotel,  business  and  residence  sec- 
tions. The  size  of  these  aerodromes  will 
depend  largely  on  the  development  of  the 
air-craft  and  its  ability  to  hover  in  alighting. 
It  is  estimated  that  an  aerodrome  from 
two  hundred  to  three  hundred  acres  in  ex- 
tent would  suffice  for  a  comparatively  large 
city.  They  will  be  equipped  with  hangars 
to  shelter  aeroplanes,  and  have  repair-shops 
and  supplies  of  gasolene  and  oil.  Such  plans 
are  no  longer  the  dreams  of  romancers. 
Many  European  cities  have  already  found  it 
necessary  to  build  public  hangars  to  accom- 
modate their  air-commerce.  The  air-traffic 
of  the  future  may  be  expected  to  have  an 
important  influence  upon  the  planning  and 
general  development  of  cities.  The  cities 
dating  from  the  Middle  Ages  grew  up  about 
some  central  fort  or  stronghold  and  were 
crowded  to  keep  within  their  walls  or  forti- 
fications. Now  that  cities  may  be  attacked 
123 


THE  AIR  MAN 

from  above,  provision  must  be  made  to  de- 
fend them  by  air-craft,  and  the  position  of 
hangars  and  aerial  defenses  will  play  an  in- 
creasingly important  role  in  future. 

A  special  map  is  required  to  guide  the 
air  man  in  cross-country  flights.  In  Eu- 
rope the  aeronautic  map  has  already  re- 
ceived a  great  deal  of  attention.  As  early 
as  1911  a  conference  was  held  in  Milan  at 
which  Rear-Admiral  Peary  represented 
America,  and  a  second  conference  at  Vienna 
in  1913  adopted  important  resolutions  for 
the  guidance  of  pilots.  It  was  decided  that 
the  best  scale  for  such  maps  was  I  to 
200,000,  and  that  all  waterways  should  be 
colored  blue.  A  number  of  conventional 
signs  were  suggested  for  indicating  rail- 
roads, hangars,  aerodromes,  fortresses, 
castles  and  cathedrals.  It  was  agreed  that 
the  country  should  be  charted,  and  that  each 
chart  be  named  after  some  prominent  local 
feature  and  contain  the  correct  latitude  and 
longitude.  It  was  suggested  at  this  inter- 
national congress  that  red  marks  or  danger 
signals  be  placed  on  localities  which  ap- 
peared safe  landing-places  from  above,  but 
124 


AERIAL  TRANSPORTATION 

which  were  really  dangerous.  A  steep, 
green  slope,  for  instance,  would  appear  flat 
to  the  pilot  and  might  lure  him  down  from 
his  flying  level.  These  red  signals  would 
appear  on  both  the  scale  and  photographic 
maps. 

In  addition  to  these  small  scale  maps,  it 
is  desirable  that  the  air  man  have  more  de- 
tailed photographic  maps  of  the  region  he 
intends  to  fly  over.  Such  maps  should  be 
carried  out  in  natural  colors,  and  to  avoid 
confusion,  there  should  be  a  winter  map  and 
a  summer  map,  since  the  color  of  a  land- 
scape changes  with  the  seasons.  A  familiar 
landscape  may  be  completely  transformed  in 
appearance  when  seen  from  aloft,  and  a  pilot 
might  lose  his  way,  even  when  flying  over 
a  well-known  region.  A  mountain  or  a 
building,  which  would  serve  as  a  landmark 
for  the  motorist  or  pedestrian,  might  appear 
so  flattened  out,  seen  from  a  high  altitude, 
that  it  would  be  valueless.  A  small  pond  of 
water  which  reflects  the  light  would  make  a 
much  better  guide-post. 

The  general  board  of  the  United  States 
Navy  has  advocated  the  preparation  of  spe- 
125 


THE  AIR  MAN 

cial  aero-maps  of  our  coast  for  the  use  of 
naval  pilots.  One  plan  is  to  place  signals  at 
intervals  of  one  degree  along  the  shore-lines 
which  could  be  recognized  at  an  altitude  of 
from  a  thousand  to  ten  thousand  feet  in 
fine  weather.  The  number  of  degrees 
might  be  indicated  by  flower  beds  or  groves 
of  trees.  In  patrolling  the  coast,  the  pilots 
could  thus  fix  their  position  accurately  at  a 
glance. 

The  survey  of  an  air-route  is  much  more 
complicated  than  the  layman  imagines.  To 
find  the  shortest  distance  route  between  two 
cities,  for  instance,  the  line  must  be  laid  out 
by  magnetic  compass.  The  true  heading 
from  city  to  city  is  found  by  projecting  the 
line  of  flight  between  the  two  points,  and 
correcting  the  variation  due  to  the  difference 
between  the  geographical  and  magnetic 
poles.  The  course  to  be  flown  is  indicated 
on  the  map  by  arrows.  It  is  planned  to 
place  sign-posts  or  light-houses  along  the 
route  which  may  be  readily  recognized,  even 
from  high  altitudes.  Such  maps  enable  the 
air  men  to  travel  from  city  to  city  over  the 
shortest  possible  route  and  save  many  miles 
126 


AERIAL  TRANSPORTATION 

of  flying.  The  cross-country  aero-routes 
will  some  day  be  as  familiar  as  are  the  motor 
tours  to-day.  A  special  aero-map-holder 
has  been  invented  in  which  a  long  map  is 
rolled  on  two  spools  and  held  rigidly  on  the 
aeroplane,  convenient  to  the  pilot.  The  map 
is  moved  by  turning  the  knobs  of  the  rollers. 
Let  us  suppose  that  an  air  man  leaves 
New  York  westward  bound.  A  number  of 
maps  are  already  available  indicating  the 
most  favorable  air-lanes  between  American 
cities.  With  his  eye  on  the  roller-maps 
mounted  before  him,  the  pilot  may  steer  his 
craft  with  the  accuracy  of  a  homing-pigeon. 
Should  he  wish  to  call  at  some  intermediate 
city  on  his  western  cruise,  such  as  Buffalo 
for  instance,  his  map  will  tell  him  the  exact 
point  at  which  he  must  alter  his  course.  On 
reaching  this  point,  he  lays  his  course  to 
the  point  of  the  compass  indicated  on  the 
map  and  proceeds  in  a  perfectly  straight 
line.  He  may  be  flying  at  night  above  the 
clouds  or  over  unfamiliar  country  and  still 
be  confident  that  his  course  will  bring  him 
to  the  landing-place  indicated  on  the  map 
by  the  shortest  possible  route. 
127 


THE  AIR  MAN 

With  serene  confidence  in  the  future,  a 
great  transcontinental  air-route  has  been 
definitely  planned,  to  be  known,  very  fit- 
tingly, as  the  Lincoln  Airway.  This  great 
project,  originated  by  Mr.  Henry  Wood- 
house,  will  doubtless  be  completely  mapped 
within  a  few  months.  The  invisible  air-lane 
will  start  from  New  York  and  follow  the 
shortest  possible  route  to  San  Francisco, 
with  side  routes  to  many  cities.  Even 
to-day,  it  is  believed  that  the  distance  could 
be  flown  in  less  than  seventy  hours.  The 
project  makes  a  strong  patriotic  appeal. 
Along  this  great  artery  of  travel  will  soon 
sweep  the  great  air-fleets  of  the  future — 
countless  air-craft  carrying  mails,  passen- 
gers and  freight  with  incredible  swiftness, 
like  innumerable  shuttles  weaving  the  fur- 
thermost cities  of  the  country  more  closely 
together. 

Aviation  will  lend  wings  to  the  millions  of 
freight  and  passenger  railroad  cars,  and 
every  manner  of  sea-craft,  and  by  annihi- 
lating distance  and  time,  give  to  all  manner 
of  transportation  an  impetus  scarcely  con- 
ceivable to  us  to-day.  The  enormous  ex- 
128 


"*    ->"\  ,•        .-   -7    » 


AERIAL  TRANSPORTATION 

penditure  of  time  and  labor  in  constructing 
roadways,  tracks,  bridges  and  canals  will  be 
largely  eliminated.  A  distinguished  South 
American  engineer  recently  visited  America 
to  interest  capital  in  railroad  building.  He 
returned  an  enthusiastic  advocate  of  the  use 
of  the  aeroplane  for  practical  transporta- 
tion. To  connect  two  cities  five  hundred 
miles  apart  in  his  country  would  require  ten 
years  of  labor  in  bridging  and  tunneling, 
and  many  million  dollars  of  expense.  He 
discovered  that  for  $100,000  he  could  estab- 
lish an  aeroplane  service  between  the  cities 
within  a  few  weeks. 

It  is  easy  to  recall  the  days,  less  than  two 
decades  ago,  when  the  automobile  was  a 
curiosity.  The  development  of  the  aero- 
plane will  be  scarcely  less  rapid  or  general 
in  its  influence.  One  of  the  early  appli- 
cations of  the  freight-carrying  aeroplane 
promises  to  be  in  bringing  perishable  pro- 
duce, such  as  milk,  vegetables  and  fruit  from 
the  country  to  the  city.  Since  a  farm  one 
hundred  miles  away  will  be  scarcely  an 
hour's  sail  distant,  the  problem  of  supply 
will  be  wonderfully  simplified.  Within  a 


THE  AIR  MAN 

few  years,  the  cities  will  awake  without  sur- 
prise to  see  the  countless  sails  of  the  food- 
fleets  winging  their  way  from  every  point  of 
the  compass. 


132 


CHAPTER  VI 

EMBATTLED   AIR-FLEETS 

WHAT  country  holds  the  mastery  of 
the  air? 

It  is  a  simple  matter  to  compare  the  total 
tonnage  and  gun-power  of  one  navy  with 
another,  and  determine  which  country  rules 
on  the  seas.  On  land,  the  size  of  an  army 
and  the  strength  of  military  vantage  points 
naturally  indicate  which  is  the  superior 
power.  Many  new  factors  must  be  consid- 
ered, however,  in  measuring  the  power  of 
an  aerial  navy.  The  relative  fighting 
strength  of  the  dirigible  type  of  fighting 
craft  and  the  aeroplane  are  bitterly  disputed. 
Neither  type  has  reached  its  final  stage  of 
development.  It  is  impossible,  of  course,  to 
establish  a  fixed  base  in  the  air  comparable 
to  the  naval  base  of  a  land  fort.  The  ef- 
fective range  of  all  kinds  of  aerial  craft, 
again,  is  comparatively  limited.  The  vic- 
133 


THE  AIR  MAN 

torious  air-fleet  which  may  sweep  the  sky  at 
one  hour,  must  return  to  earth  or  perhaps 
withdraw  to  a  distant  base,  leaving  the  air 
unprotected  and  at  the  mercy  of  another 
hostile  fleet. 

The  German  air  men  claim  they  hold  the 
mastery  of  the  air  by  the  strength  of  their 
Zeppelin  fleets.  They  base  this  claim  on  the 
fact  that  their  squadrons,  sailing  at  a  height 
of  one  mile,  develop  a  speed  of  eighty  miles 
an  hour  with  an  effective  radius  of  one  thou- 
sand miles  and  drop  two  tons  of  explosives, 
meanwhile  repelling  all  attacks.  The  air 
navies  of  the  Entente  powers,  on  the  other 
hand,  point  to  the  number  of  their  war  aero- 
planes, whose  greater  mobility,  they  claim 
with  a  measure  of  justice,  gives  them  con- 
trol of  the  air.  The  aeroplanes  have  twice 
the  speed  of  the  Zeppelins,  they  argue,  and 
can  rise  to  a  far  higher  altitude,  bringing 
greater  gun-power  to  bear  from  more  ad- 
vantageous positions.  The  rules  of  military 
science,  it  will  be  seen,  are  of  little  value  in 
solving  this  new  problem  of  the  air. 

An  aerial  battle-line  of  defense  is  much 
the  same  as  an  ordinary  fortification,  except 
134 


Unusual  photograph  of  a  Zeppelin  at  sea 


EMBATTLED  AIR-FLEETS 

that  it  is  placed,  as  it  were,  on  edge.  At  an 
altitude  of  about  thirteen  thousand  feet,  or 
two  and  a  half  miles,  a  number  of  swift, 
alert  fighting-machines  are  constantly  pa- 
trolling back  and  forth  on  the  lookout  for 
the  approach  of  an  enemy.  This  "ceiling 
work,"  as  it  is  called,  is  most  important  for, 
from  so  great  a  height,  they  look  out  for 
miles  in  all  directions.  Lower  down,  only 
a  mile  or  so  above  the  earth,  the  heavier 
aeroplanes,  carrying  aerial  artillery,  fly  back 
and  forth,  ready  at  a  moment's  notice  to 
dash  into  battle  formation  and  attack  or 
repel  the  enemy.  Along  the  battle  front, 
still  lower  down  and  spaced  at»regular  inter- 
vals, float  the  captive  balloons — mile  after 
mile  of  them  as  far  as  the  eye  can  see. 
They  sway  at  the  end  of  long  tethers  day 
and  night,  while  from  their  cars  alert  look- 
outs sweep  the  sky  for  the  sails  of  the 
enemy,  or  watch  the  movement  of  troops, 
any  movement  of  artillery  or  change  in  the 
system  of  attack. 

From  the  scouting  planes  which  may  be 
out  of  sight  far  above,  the  pilots  make  re- 
ports to  bases  at  regular  intervals  by  wire- 
137 


THE  AIR  MAN 

less  telegraph.  The  cars  of  the  captive  bal- 
loons are  connected  with  the  earth  by  tele- 
phone, so  that  the  commanding  officers  look 
down  upon  the  enemy  with  scores  of  eyes. 
Let  an  attacking  fleet  of  aircraft  approach, 
and  their  movements  are  reported  at  mili- 
tary headquarters  within  a  few  seconds. 
Time  is  priceless.  Within  easy  striking  dis- 
tance, hundreds  of  aeroplanes — the  light 
flying  craft  and  the  heavy  artillery  planes — 
stand  ready  to  take  the  air  at  the  first  dan- 
ger signal.  One  of  the  most  important 
services  of  the  observation  craft  is  to  assist 
in  the  fire-control.  The  pilots  observe 
where  the  shells  from  their  own  batteries 
strike  by  the  puffs  of  smoke  or  spouts  of 
earth  which  follow  each  explosion.  This 
information  is  flashed  by  wireless  to  the  bat- 
teries and  the  range  is  corrected. 

The  aerial  defenders  of  great  cities  like 
London  and  Paris  are  in  constant  communi- 
cation, day  and  night,  with  the  wireless 
scouts  on  the  border  frontiers.  It  is  practi- 
cally impossible  for  a  fleet  of  aeroplanes  or 
Zeppelins,  to  cross  the  frontiers  without 
being  observed  by  the  aerial  scouts,  and  the 
138 


EMBATTLED  AIR-FLEETS 

defenders  can  always  count  upon  at  least  an 
hour  to  take  the  air  in  defense.  There  are 
always  some  fifty  aeroplanes,  both  scouts 
and  artillery  craft,  in  the  air  above  Paris. 
A  pilot  remains  aloft  on  scouting  duty  for 
about  three  hours  when  he  is  relieved,  an- 
other plane  rising  to  take  his  place  the  mo- 
ment he  comes  down.  A  fleet  of  fully  two 
hundred  military  aeroplanes  is  always  ready, 
at  a  moment's  notice,  to  take  the  air.  In  the 
early  days  of  the  war,  French  fleets  proved 
almost  helpless  against  the  Zeppelins.  The 
largest  guns  they  could  mount  were  unable 
to  bring  down  the  giant  gas-bags.  This  dif- 
ficulty has  been  solved  by  devising  a  flying 
bomb  which  ignites  on  striking  the  gas  en- 
velopes. 

The  first  great  air-battle  in  history  was 
fought  by  German  and  British  aerial  fleets 
near  Bapaume,  one  of  the  objective  points 
in  the  great  battle  of  the  Somme.  The  Brit- 
ish squadron  comprised  thirty  planes,  while 
the  Germans  mustered  forty  aeroplanes  of 
various  types.  As  the  two  fleets  came  to- 
gether, a  strong  westerly  wind,  which  con- 
tinued throughout  the  engagement,  drifted 
139 


THE  AIR  MAN 

them  over  German  territory  in  the  direction 
of  Voulx-Vrancourt.  The  English  had  not 
chosen  their  battlefield,  or  rather  air-posi- 
tion, and  thus  fought  at  a  disadvantage.  In 
an  air-battle,  every  combatant  who  is  forced 
to  descend  within  the  enemies'  lines,  how- 
ever slight  his  injuries,  is  likely  to  be  made 
prisoner,  and  therefore  cannot  rejoin  his 
forces.  It  is  impossible,  besides,  for  an  air- 
squadron  fighting  above  an  enemy's  terri- 
tory to  count  their  losses  or  the  enemy's  with 
accuracy.  When  an  aeroplane  drops  out  of 
the  fighting  zone,  they  cannot  tell  if  its  pilot 
has  been  forced  to  descend  for  temporary 
repairs  such  as  engine  troubles,  or  has 
''plunged,"  losing  his  life  and  his  machine. 
The  English  armored  "bombing"  planes, 
carrying  machine-guns  and  massed  as  closely 
together  as  possible,  were  flying  at  a  prear- 
ranged altitude  of  about  five  thousand  feet. 
The  scouting  planes,  thrown  out  in  advance, 
darted  about  somewhat  higher.  As  in  most 
aerial  encounters,  once  the  enemy's  fleet  was 
sighted,  there  was  little  or  no  time  for 
manceuvering.  The  two  hostile  air-squad- 
rons flew  at  one  another  at  a  speed  of  about 
140 


Placing  a  bomb  in  position  beneath  an  aeroplane 


EMBATTLED  AIR-FLEETS 

one  hundred  miles  an  hour.  Within  a  few 
seconds  after  the  scouts  had  given  the  alarm, 
the  battle  was  on.  Neither  squadron  hesi- 
tated for  an  instant,  but  drove  headlong  at 
one  another.  The  scouting  planes  had  only 
time  to  swoop  down  to  the  mile-high  level 
where  the  general  engagement  was  fought. 
In  the  mass  of  swirling,  darting  aero- 
planes, it  was  impossible  to  count  the  en- 
emy's forces,  though  it  was  generally  agreed 
later  that  the  German  squadron  numbered 
forty  machines.  It  was  out  of  the  question, 
in  such  a  hit  or  miss  encounter,  to  fol- 
low any  formal  system  of  military  evolu- 
tion. The  battle  raged  for  twenty  minutes. 
Neither  the  pilots  engaged  nor  the  observers 
a  mile  below  could  give  any  detailed  descrip- 
tion of  the  fight.  Each  pilot  had  to  watch 
his  own  machine  and,  while  he  maintained 
a  delicate  balance,  was  obliged  to  dodge  or 
attack  his  nearest  antagonist  as  best  he 
could,  delivering  as  many  blows  as  possible. 
Now  it  was  a  headlong  plunge  and  a  single 
shot,  now  a  dip  and  a  swerve  to  dodge  the 
onrush  of  an  antagonist.  In  some  daring 
loop,  the  pilot  would  catch  a  fleeting  glimpse 
H3 


THE  AIR  MAN 

of  his  adversary  and,  with  consummate  air- 
manship, regain  his  balance  and  bring  his 
rapid-fire  gun  into  play.  Throughout  the 
battle,  there  was  an  inextricable  tangle  of 
darting,  swerving  machines,  while  the  air 
vibrated  to  the  continuous  rattle  of  the  ma- 
chine-guns and  the  roar  of  seventy  pro- 
pellers. 

The  quick,  darting  movement  of  the  em- 
battled aeroplanes  has  been  compared  by 
observers  of  these  encounters  to  the  flight 
of  wasps,  while  the  roar  of  the  propellers 
far  aloft  has  the  droning  sound  of  bees.  At 
an  altitude  of  a  mile  or  more,  it  is  impossible 
to  recognize  the  nationality  of  the  fighting 
planes,  and  to  tell  friend  from  foe.  The 
observer  can  rarely  tell  which  is  having  the 
better  of  the  encounter.  It  is  only  when  a 
death-blow  is  struck  that  the  observers  be- 
low may  be  certain  of  the  manoeuver.  The 
fall  of  a  plane  from  the  fighting  zone  is  a 
sight  never  to  be  forgotten.  The  tiny,  black 
speck  which  has  been  darting  restlessly  back 
and  forth  comes  to  rest  for  a  moment,  then 
falls.  As  it  descends  in  a  line  drawn  per- 
pendicularly against  the  sky,  it  gathers  mo- 
144 


EMBATTLED  AIR-FLEETS 

mentum,  trailing  a  black  streamer  of  smoke 
behind  it. 

The  first  aeroplane  to  be  shot  in  a  vital 
spot  was  a  German  Fokker  which  whirled 
giddily  for  an  instant,  then  burst  into  flames 
and  crashed  downward.  Soon  after,  a 
British  plane  was  badly  injured  and  drifted 
out  of  sight.  None  could  tell  if  its  pilot 
reached  the  earth  dead  or  alive.  Two  Ger- 
man planes  shortly  afterwards  came  to  grief. 
Thousands  of  shots,  meanwhile,  riddled  the 
wings  of  the  planes,  but  few  could  be  ex- 
pected to  strike  vital  parts.  Both  the  Ger- 
man and  British  pilots  drove  and  dodged 
with  superb  skill  and  daring. 

In  counting  the  cost  of  the  battle,  the  ob- 
servers agreed  that  six  German  aeroplanes 
fell,  out  of  control,  during  the  engagement. 
So  severe  was  the  fighting  that  they  could 
not  be  watched  until  they  landed.  Some  of 
these  may  have  volplaned  for  several  miles 
and  reached  the  ground  in  safety.  Of  the 
British  squadron,  nine  planes  were  driven 
down  in  hostile  territory,  three  of  which 
were  known  to  have  been  destroyed.  A 
German  kite-balloon  was  also  driven  down 
145 


THE  AIR  MAN 

in  flames.  When  a  roll  was  called  after  the 
battle,  seven  of  the  British  machines  were 
reported  missing.  Two  British  airships,  re- 
turning from  the  battle,  brought  wounded 
pilots,  and  one  succeeded  in  bringing  back 
a  gunner,  shot  dead  in  mid-air.  One,  with 
badly  crippled  wings,  fought  its  way  against 
contrary  air-currents  to  land  safely  within 
the  English  lines.  Whatever  its  casualties, 
the  German  squadron  withdrew  in  good 
order,  leaving  the  enemy  in  undisputed  pos- 
session of  the  air. 

Many  spectacular  engagements  have  been 
fought  directly  above  the  trenches.  Neither 
the  soldiers  in  the  trenches  nor  the  air  men 
may  find  time  to  watch  each  other,  yet  for 
each  a  marvelous  picture  is  presented.  The 
air  man  can  look  down  upon  the  greatest 
armies  ever  assembled  in  their  mighty  strug- 
gle. From  the  ground,  the  varying  for- 
tunes of  the  aerial  fleets  present  an  amazing 
spectacle.  An  English  officer  in  a  letter 
written  at  the  front  gives  a  vivid  picture  of 
one  of  these  air-battles.  Several  German 
war  planes  were  seen  one  day  approaching 
the  Allies  lines  at  high  speed.  With  the  aid 
146 


Aiming  an  anti-aircraft  gun 


EMBATTLED  AIR-FLEETS 

of  glasses,  the  black  crosses  on  their  wings 
could  be  clearly  distinguished.  Their  ob- 
ject was,  naturally,  to  spy  on  the  enemy's 
forces  and  report  any  important  movement 
of  troops  or  the  shifting  of  siege-guns. 

They  were  still  at  some  distance,  when  a 
fleet  of  British  planes  rose  to  meet  them. 
The  attack  was  expected,  for  a  warning  of 
their  approach  had  been  given  by  micro- 
phones which  detect  the  whir  of  the  pro- 
pellers many  miles  away.  As  the  two  fleets 
approached,  the  sky  seemed  dotted  with 
black  shapes,  and  soon  a  faint  popping  fioise 
told  the  observers  that  the  duel  had  com- 
menced. From  the  ground,  more  than  a 
mile  below,  it  was  impossible  to  tell  the  Ger- 
man from  the  French  planes,  and  the  two 
fleets  soon  formed  a  darting,  swirling  group. 
It  seemed  hours,  though  only  a  few  minutes 
passed,  before  one  of  the  planes  suddenly 
burst  into  flames  and  fell,  trailing  behind  it 
a  long  plume  of  black  smoke.  As  the  battle 
progressed,  three  more  planes  were  seen  to 
fall  out  of  the  fighting  zone,  but  they  re- 
mained under  control,  as  was  shown  by  the 
skill  with  which  they  volplaned  to  earth. 
149 


THE  AIR  MAN 

One  of  them  came  down  inside  the  British 
lines  and  was  quickly  surrounded  by  sol- 
diers, anxious  for  news  of  the  battle  being 
waged  above  their  heads. 

The  fight  continued  for  fifteen  minutes. 
A  second  aeroplane  was  soon  seen  to  be  shot 
down,  falling  inside  the  German  lines,  but 
its  nationality  could  only  be  guessed.  The 
battle  seemed  to  be  fought  within  a  circle 
scarcely  a  mile  in  diameter,  and  at  times  the 
aeroplanes  appeared  to  almost  touch  one  an- 
other. The  Germans  were  determined,  at 
any  cost,  to  gain  the  coveted  information, 
while  the  British  were  no  less  stubborn  in 
guarding  the  invisible  boundary  line  of  their 
frontier.  Meanwhile,  news  of  the  engage- 
ment had  been  rushed  to  the  nearest  French 
aviation  camp,  and  reinforcements  were 
soon  on  the  wing.  It  was  said  that  the 
French  fleet  comprised  several  American 
air  men. 

The  French  fleet  was  soon  visible  at  a 
great  distance,  a  mere  cloud  of  small,  dark 
objects  resembling  a  swarm  of  bees.  It 
grew  rapidly  larger  and  soon  the  whir  of 
propellers  was  added  to  the  clatter  above. 
150 


EMBATTLED  AIR-FLEETS 

As  they  approached,  they  divided  into  two 
groups,  attacking  the  German  fleet  from 
two  sides.  The  reinforcements  turned  the 
tide  of  battle.  The  German  fleet  was  now 
greatly  outnumbered,  but  continued  to  fight 
for  several  minutes.  Two  more  planes  had 
been  forced  to  drop  out  of  the  fighting-zone, 
when  the  Germans  gave  a  signal  to  retire. 
The  diminished  fleet  drew  together  and  re- 
tired in  good  order. 


CHAPTER  VII 

AERIAL   BATTERIES 

THERE  are  at  present,  according  to 
belief,  more  than  30,000  aeroplanes  in 
the  service  of  the  several  embattled  armies 
of  Europe.  Germany  alone,  it  is  said,  has 
not  less  than  9000  fighting  aircraft.  War 
planes  are  now  in  active  service  mounting 
six  machine-guns  of  three  inch  caliber,  and 
carrying  aloft  a  ton  of  ammunition.  These 
great  aerial  fleets  are  engaged  in  reconnais- 
sance and  observation,  as  well  as  in  active 
offensive  and  defensive  operations.  In  the 
first  two  years  of  the  war,  German  battle- 
planes and  anti-aircraft  batteries  alone  de- 
stroyed more  than  1000  aeroplanes,  or  167 
squadrons  of  six  machines  each.  In  a  single 
year,  Great  Britain  spent  $500,000,000  on 
her  air-division. 

The  battery  of  a  war-plane  usually  con- 
sists   of    machine-guns    of    small    caliber 
152 


Defending  an  air  attack  at  sea 


Inlantry  repelling  an  air  attack 


AERIAL  BATTERIES 

mounted  directly  in  front  of  the  pilot's  seat. 
The  crew  may  consist  of  two  men,  the  pilot 
and  the  tireur,  or  gunner,  though  it  is  com- 
mon for  one  air  man  to  guide  and  fight  with 
his  machine.  The  difficulty  of  serving  a 
gun  under  such  conditions  is,  of  course,  un- 
precedented. Since  the  two  planes  engaged 
may  be  flying  at  a-hundred-miles-an-hour 
clip  or  faster,  they  will  change  positions  so 
rapidly  that  a  gun  mounted  in  the  conven- 
tional way  would  be  useless. 

A  very  simple  device  has  been  invented 
for  mounting  the  aeroplane  batteries.  It 
consists  of  a  stout,  metal  ring  about  two 
feet  in  diameter,  placed  at  the  prow  of  the 
aeroplane  at  the  height  of  the  tireur's  shoul- 
ders. The  gun  rests  on  the  rim  of  this  ring, 
so  that  it  is  quickly  shifted  to  point  at  any 
angle,  and  may  be  swung  up  or  down  through 
a  wide  vertical  range.  The  tireur,  standing 
inside  the  circle,  can  easily  balance  himself, 
however  his  craft  may  dip  or  climb.  Even 
in  looping-the-loop,  when  the  gunner  is  al- 
most upside  down,  he  can  continue  to  aim 
and  discharge  his  battery.  Some  of  the 
planes  carry  a  special  sighting  apparatus  di- 
155 


THE  AIR  MAN 

reeled  by  means  of  a  drift-indicator.  The 
battery  often  includes,  besides,  an  ordinary 
service-rifle  which  may  be  used  in  defending 
the  plane  if  it  be  forced  to  come  down  in 
enemy  territory. 

The  military  aeroplanes  are  practically  all 
of  the  tractor  type,  with  the  propeller  placed 
in  front  of  the  machine.  While  a  gun  can 
be  brought  to  bear  in  any  direction,  it  was 
at  first  impossible  to  shoot  directly  ahead 
through  the  circles  described  by  the  revolv- 
ing propeller-blades.  It  has  been  calculated 
that  a  bullet  fired  through  this  circle  would 
only  hit  the  propeller  once  in  ten  times,  but 
a  single  shot  might  disable  the  blades  and 
play  havoc  with  the  aeroplane.  To  over- 
come this  fault,  an  ingenious  device  has  been 
invented  by  which  the  firing  of  the  gun  is 
controlled  by  the  shaft  of  the  propeller, 
which  discharges  it  at  the  instant  the  bullet 
may  pass  the  revolving  blades  without  strik- 
ing them.  The  pilot  can  thus  shoot  straight 
ahead  without  endangering  his  propeller. 
A  war-plane  frequently  carries  one  thou- 
sand rounds  of  cartridges  on  one  of  its 
raids. 

156 


AERIAL  BATTERIES 

The  so-called  "bombing  planes"  usually 
carry  artillery  shells  of  about  six-inch  cali- 
ber. The  gas-bands  have  been  removed, 
and  the  ends  fitted  with  torpedo-like  tails. 
They  may  therefore  be  thrown  overboard  or 
discharged  from  their  tubes  upside  down, 
and,  in  falling,  will  quickly  right  themselves. 
The  bombs  are  released  by  pulling  levers 
convenient  to  the  pilot's  seat,  or  by  a  pedal 
arrangement  operated  by  the  feet.  This 
mechanism  enables  the  air  man  to  keep  both 
hands  free  to  make  observations  and  to  steer 
his  machine.  It  is  much  more  difficult  to 
strike  a  given  target  from  a  high  altitude 
than  might  be  imagined.  The  bomb,  in 
falling  from  a  machine  in  rapid  motion,  does 
not  descend  in  a  straight  line,  but  describes 
a  parabola  which  is  further  affected  by  the 
force  of  the  wind. 

So  much  depends  upon  the  air  man's  skill 
in  aiming,  that  he  is  required  to  practise  for 
weeks  with  an  elaborate  bomb-dropping  ap- 
paratus. He  works  from  a  seat  raised  on 
poles  about  twenty-five  feet  above  the 
ground.  Beneath  him,  a  landscape,  painted 
on  canvas  and  mounted  on  rollers,  sweeps 
157 


THE  AIR  MAN 

backward  exactly  as  the  earth  passes  below 
an  aeroplane  in  flight.  The  picture  is  won- 
derfully complete,  with  military  camps, 
towns,  railroads  and  bridges.  The  air  man, 
with  the  aid  of  his  range-finder,  selects  his 
target  in  the  flying  "landscape,"  makes  al- 
lowance for  the  effect  of  speed,  height  and 
wind,  and  drops  his  "bomb"  with  mathe- 
matical accuracy.  A  series  of  mirrors  con- 
nected with  the  range-finder  proves  of  great 
assistance  in  aiming. 

A  bombing-plane  will  frequently  carry 
more  than  three  hundred  pounds  of  high 
explosives.  To  avoid  accidents  which  would 
be  especially  disastrous  in  mid-air,  the  con- 
tact or  detonating  fuses  of  the  shells  are 
"dead."  Their  mechanism,  however,  is  con- 
nected by  a  wire  with  crosspieces  inside  the 
car  so  that,  when  the  shell  is  released,  it 
becomes  "alive"  and  is  exploded  on  striking 
the  earth.  The  pilot,  or  tireur,  comfortably 
seated  in  his  aeroplane,  by  a  pressure  of 
hand  or  foot,  can  direct  a  devasting  fire  upon 
the  enemy  a  mile  below.  The  bombs  are 
usually  discharged  one  at  a  time,  although 
some  bombing-planes  are  double-barreled 
158 


I 
I 


AERIAL  BATTERIES 

and  permit  two  bombs  to  be  released  with  a 
single  movement. 

One  of  the  most  dangerous  weapons  yet 
devised  for  the  aeroplane  is  the  Heche  or 
steel  dart  which  is  showered  upon  the  enemy 
from  great  altitudes.  The  Heche  resembles 
an  ordinary  pencil  in  shape  and  size.  It  is 
sharply  pointed  at  one  end  and  weighted  so 
that  it  will  fall  in  a  perfectly  straight  line. 
In  dropping  a  great  distance,  perhaps  sev- 
eral miles,  it  develops,  of  course,  a  high 
velocity  and  will  pierce  an  ordinary  defense 
like  paper.  One  of  these  darts  struck  a  sol- 
dier on  horseback  and  passed  through  the 
man  and  his  horse.  Good  specimens  are 
rare  since,  if  they  strike  a  rock  on  reach- 
ing the  earth  they  buckle  or  are  broken, 
and  if  they  come  down  on  ordinary  soil, 
they  bury  themselves  to  a  depth  of  several 
feet. 

A  deadly  efficiency  is  promised  for  a  new 
type  of  air-warcraft  known  as  the  torpedo- 
plane.  Rear  Admiral  Fiske  has  devised 
a  mechanism  that  holds  the  regulation 
Whitehead  auto-torpedo  rigidly  beneath  an 
aeroplane  and  discharges  it  by  pulling  a 
161 


THE  AIR  MAN 

lever.  The  aim  is  wonderfully  true,  and  the 
torpedo  speeds  on  its  way  as  effectively  as  if 
launched  from  a  regular  destroyer.  The 
pilot  of  the  torpedo-plane  approaches  his 
target,  a  great  battleship,  for  instance,  from 
a  distance  of  five  miles  or  more.  At  first 
rising  to  a  considerable  altitude,  he  volplanes 
down  at  terrific  speed.  On  nearing  the 
water,  he  drives  straight  for  his  target  and 
drops  his  torpedo,  which  then  darts  ahead 
exactly  as  if  launched  from  a  destroyer. 
The  mobility  of  aircraft  makes  it  possible  to 
circle  about  a  hostile  ship  and  approach  it 
from  any  side  at  a  speed  that  makes  it  an 
elusive  target.  A  lieutenant  of  the  royal 
navy  made  four  flights  with  such  a  craft 
over  the  Sea  of  Mamora,  launching  four 
torpedoes  weighing  731  pounds  each.  The 
attacks  were  successful,  four  Turkish  ships 
being  sunk.  Since  a  well-directed  torpedo 
is  considered  as  destructive  as  a  large  coast- 
defense  gun,  the  value  of  the  torpedo-plane 
is  naturally  great. 

A  powerful   searchlight   is   an   essential 
part  of  the  equipment  of  a  war-plane.     In 
landing  after  a  night  flight,  great  care  must 
162 


AERIAL  BATTERIES 

be  exercised  to  avoid  attack  from  the  guns 
alike  of  friends  and  enemies.  A  system  of 
signals  was  worked  out  during  the  famous 
Verdun  campaign  which  later  was  generally 
adopted.  No  machine  is  allowed  to  land 
until  it  has  first  signaled  its  approach  and 
received  the  answering  signal,  "all  clear," 
from  below.  Since  all  lights  are  extin- 
guished or  carefully  shaded  from  observa- 
tion from  above,  there  is  great  danger  that 
an  air  man  may  mistake  his  landing-place 
and  come  down  in  a  hostile  camp.  When  a 
French  pilot  reaches  what  he  supposes  to 
be  his  own  aerodrome,  he  first  circles  about 
high  in  air  and  signals  his  special  letter  in 
the  Morse  code  by  means  of  his  searchlight. 
He  is  answered  by  the  ground  projectors, 
and  the  air  man  must  recognize  the  pass- 
word, as  it  were,  before  alighting. 

In  the  British  squadrons,  the  pilot  nearing 
his  aerodrome  burns  a  light  which  is  an- 
swered by  a  prearranged  signal  from  the 
ground.  The  color  of  the  signals  tells  the 
man  aloft  if  he  may  land  in  safety.  Each 
aerodrome  in  the  vicinity  has  its  own  light, 
so  that  the  air  pilot  must,  of  course,  be  able 


THE  AIR  MAN 

to  recognize  the  various  signals  at  a  glance. 
The  flare-lights  are  controlled  by  the  brigade 
headquarters,  and  the  secret  code  is  as  care- 
fully guarded  as  any  password.  The  air 
pilot  must  be  on  the  alert,  for  the  signal  may 
flash  out  and  disappear  in  a  fraction  of  a 
second.  To  burn  a  signal-light  for  any 
length  of  time  might  attract  the  attention 
of  enemy  aeroplanes  which  would  direct  an 
artillery  or  bomb  fire  upon  it. 

To  meet  the  peculiar  conditions  encoun- 
tered by  aeroplanes  in  flight,  two  types  of 
wireless-telegraph  apparatus  have  been  de- 
vised. In  observation  work,  where  the  air 
man  from  a  high  altitude  reports  the  effect 
of  shell-fire  and  so  assists  the  gunners  of  his 
forces,  a  twenty-mile  range  is  sufficient. 
Enough  power  to  operate  such  a  wireless  set 
can  readily  be  supplied  by  storage  batteries. 
The  complete  outfit  for  this  work  weighs 
about  forty  pounds.  For  long-range  work, 
a  set  has  been  devised  weighing  sixty 
pounds,  which  is  operated  by  a  two-blade 
fan.  It  is  mounted  on  one  wing  and  trans- 
mits successfully  up  to  no  miles. 

These  sets  are  usually  attached  directly 
164 


AERIAL  BATTERIES 

in  front  of  the  pilot's  seat,  within  easy  reach. 
By  using  a  fan-driven  motor,  communica- 
tion may  be  kept  up  as  long  as  the  aero- 
plane travels  above  a  "stalling"  speed,  and 
is  not  affected  by  any  change  of  speed.  A 
trailing  "aerial,"  made  of  braided  wire 
which  dangles  far  below  the  aeroplane,  is 
used  in  this  work.  Before  landing,  this 
aerial  is  wound  up  on  a  reel  beside  the  pilot's 
seat.  As  a  precaution,  the  wire  is  made 
very  light  so  that  if  the  aeroplane  was  forced 
to  land  suddenly,  giving  the  operator  no 
time  to  reel  it  up,  it  would  readily  break.  A 
strong  wire  aerial,  in  dragging  along  the 
ground,  might  easily  be  caught  and  pull  out 
the  strut  or  other  part  of  the  aeroplane  to 
which  it  was  attached. 

When  the  aeroplane  carries  only  a  send- 
ing apparatus,  an  ingenious  plan  is  carried 
out  to  test  its  efficiency.  A  number  of  test 
signals  are  sent  out,  while  the  air  man  cir- 
cles about  high  in  air.  The  commander  sig- 
nals back  by  placing  several  large,  white 
sheets  on  the  ground  in  prearranged  forma- 
tion. When  an  aeroplane  is  likely  to  fly  out 
of  effective  wireless  range  of  its  base,  car- 


THE  AIR  MAN 

rier-pigeons  are  taken  along  to  bring  back 
reports. 

The  deafening  racket  set  up  by  the  motors 
of  an  aeroplane  makes  it  difficult  for  the 
wireless  man  to  receive  messages.  The 
wireless  operator  who  "receives"  on  a  rail- 
road train  when  in  motion,  is  supplied  with 
a  sound-proof  room  or  closet.  Aboard  an 
aeroplane,  the  weight  of  such  an  inclosure 
would,  of  course,  be  a  serious  objection. 
The  operator,  instead,  wears  a  metal,  sound- 
proof helmet  which  completely  covers  his 
head  and  rests  on  his  shoulders,  much  the 
same  as  a  diver's  helmet.  Thus  protected, 
the  pilot  with  his  receiver  strapped  to  his 
head,  sits  in  a  sound-proof  inclosure  and 
reads  the  faintest  dots  and  dashes  with- 
out inconvenience.  The  perfection  of  this 
aerial  equipment  is  one  of  the  wonders  of 
the  Great  War.  Under  the  stimulus  of 
necessity,  every  detail  of  the  fighting-planes 
has  been  developed  with  unprecedented 
rapidity.  A  well-known  military  authority 
said  recently  that  three  months'  development 
in  aerial  warfare  had  been  equivalent  to  a 
century  of  development  in  naval  warfare. 
168 


CHAPTER  VIII 

AIR   DUELS 

THE  most  fantastic  prophecies  of  ae- 
rial warfare  have  fallen  short  of  the 
reality.  The  imagination  of  Jules  Verne  or 
Edgar  Allan  Poe  have  failed  to  conjure  up 
pictures  of  battles  in  the  sky  half  so  thrilling 
as  the  actual  encounters  of  to-day.  An  air 
battle  is  fought  with  a  recklessness  and  an 
appalling  hazard  of  life  never  before  known 
on  land  or  sea. 

The  first  aerial  encounters  were  fought  in 
a  comparatively  leisurely  manner.  The  an- 
tagonists flew  toward  one  another  exchang- 
ing shots,  swept  past  and  returned  to  the 
attack,  not  unlike  two  knights  tilting  in  a 
medieval  tourney.  With  the  rapid  increase 
in  skill  and  daring  of  pilots,  these  air  ma- 
nceuvers  were  soon  changed.  A  battle  is 
won  to-day  more  by  good  airmanship  than 
gunnery.  Each  pilot  strives  to  outmanoeu- 
169 


THE  AIR  MAN 

ver  his  opponent  and  must  learn  to  thrust 
and  dodge  with  amazing  confidence  and  ac- 
curacy. They  no  longer  attack  blindly,  fir- 
ing at  one  another  point-blank,  like  old  ships 
of  the  line.  The  fate  of  an  aeroplane  is  de- 
cided rather  by  one  good  shot  where,  in  an 
earlier  stage  of  aerial  warfare,  many  shots 
would  have  been  wasted. 

No  air  duelist  has  probably  had  a  more 
brilliant  record  for  daring  airmanship  than 
the  German  aviator,  Captain  Boelke.  In 
his  brief  career,  he  was  matched  against 
hundreds  of  air  men  and  brought  down  more 
than  forty  aeroplanes.  To  his  antagonists, 
he  seemed  to  bear  a  charmed  life,  and  his 
skill  and  courage  became  a  fable  throughout 
the  armies.  Under  the  pilotage  of  even  the 
most  skilful  air  man,  an  aeroplane  is  un- 
wieldy and  requires  considerable  airway  for 
maneuvering.  Let  the  pilot  make  an  error 
of  judgment,  a  trifling  miscalculation,  and 
the  precarious  balance  may  be  lost,  with 
death  following  in  an  appalling  form.  In 
most  of  these  aerial  duels,  the  aeroplanes 
often  approach  within  a  hundred  yards  of 
one  another,  and  should  they  be  separated 
170 


THE  AIR  MAN 

ver  his  opponent  and  must  learn  to  thrust 
and  dodge  with  amazing  confidence  and  ac- 
curacy. They  no  longer  attack  blindly,  fir- 
ing at  one  another  point-blank,  like  old  ships 
of  the  line.  The  fate  of  an  aeroplane  is  de- 
cided rather  by  one  good  shot  where,  in  an 
earlier  stage  of  aerial  warfare,  many  shots 
would  have  been  wasted. 

No  air  duelist  has  probably  had  a  more 
brilliant  record  for  daring  airmanship  than 
the  German  aviator,  Captain  Boelke.  In 
his  brief  career,  he  was  matched  against 
hundreds  of  air  men  and  brought  down  more 
than  forty  aeroplanes.  To  his  antagonists, 
he  seemed  to  bear  a  charmed  life,  and  his 
skill  and  courage  became  a  fable  throughout 
the  armies.  Under  the  pilotage  of  even  the 
most  skilful  air  man,  an  aeroplane  is  un- 
wieldy and  requires  considerable  airway  for 
manoeuvering.  Let  the  pilot  make  an  error 
of  judgment,  a  trifling  miscalculation,  and 
the  precarious  balance  may  be  lost,  with 
death  following  in  an  appalling  form.  In 
most  of  these  aerial  duels,  the  aeroplanes 
often  approach  within  a  hundred  yards  of 
one  another,  and  should  they  be  separated 
170 


AIR  DUELS 

by  but  thirty  or  forty  yards,  are  considered 
at  very  close  quarters. 

In  one  of  the  most  famous  air  duels,  this 
time  with  a  French  air  man,  Boelke  at  a 
great  altitude  approached  within  less  than 
ten  feet  of  his  antagonist.  The  two  aero- 
planes had  been  darting  about  high  in  air, 
like  swallows.  Boelke  had  fired  in  all  fully 
five  hundred  shots  at  his  antagonist,  riddling 
his  wings.  Finally  a  shot  struck  some  vital 
part  of  the  machine,  and  the  French  aviator 
sought  escape  in  flight.  It  was  then  that 
Boelke  pressed  his  advantage,  and  drove  his 
machine  to  within  less  than  ten  feet  of  his 
antagonist's  plane.  Just  at  the  moment 
a  disastrous  collision  seemed  inevitable, 
Boelke,  with  consummate  airmanship,  turned 
his  machine  quickly  on  its  left  side,  almost 
grazing  his  antagonist.  At  the  same  in- 
stant, the  enemy's  machine  turned  over  and 
dropped  out  of  sight. 

In  another  encounter  Boelke,  after  deliv- 
ering a  destructive  fire,  crept  up  on  his  an- 
tagonist to  observe  its  effect.  On  nearing 
him,  Boelke  found  that  the  machine  had  been 
left  to  guide  itself,  the  pilot  having  climbed 


THE  AIR  MAN 

from  his  seat  far  out  on  the  left  wing  of 
his  aeroplane  where  he  stood  holding  on  to 
one  of  its  supports.  A  piece  of  the  helm 
had  been  shot  away  and  the  machine  had 
pitched  downward.  The  only  chance  the 
pilot  had  to  balance  his  aeroplane  was  to 
transfer  his  weight  and  play  this  terrifying 
game  of  sea-saw  high  in  air.  As  Boelke 
swept  past,  he  could  see  the  look  of  terror  on 
the  pilot's  face. 

A  similar  accident  occurred  to  Victor 
Chapman,  the  American  pilot,  who  managed 
to  escape  by  an  amazing  display  of  pluck. 
A  German  bullet  had  cut  away  the  metal 
stability-control  of  his  machine,  threatening 
instant  collapse.  Chapman's  machine  was 
already  riddled  and  he  had  suffered  a  severe 
scalp  wound.  He  realized  his  danger  and 
by  a  supreme  effort  succeeded  in  holding  the 
broken  part  in  place  while  he  steered  his 
craft  with  his  free  hand  to  a  safe  landing. 
No  aviator  had  ever  before  been  known  to 
escape  after  such  an  accident.  Chapman's 
nerve,  however,  was  unshaken,  and  after 
hurriedly  repairing  his  machine  and  having 
his  wounds  dressed,  he  rose  again  a  few 
174 


AIR  DUELS 

minutes  later  to  dash  into  the  thick  of  the 
fight. 

An  air  pilot  can,  so  to  speak,  tie  the  reins 
which  guide  his  craft  by  attaching  rubber 
bands  to  the  helm,  when  the  machine  will 
fly  for  a  time  unaided.  The  aviator  then 
has  his  two  hands  free  to  work  the  gun. 
After  one  of  his  attacks  in  which  Boelke 
was  certain  he  must  have  "finished"  his  op- 
ponent, the  enemy  still  continued  to  fly. 
Boelke,  on  approaching  cautiously,  found 
the  pilot  dead,  the  body  being  strapped  se- 
curely to  the  seat.  As  long  as  he  continued 
in  sight,  the  tragic  craft,  with  its  engine  still 
driving  at  top  speed,  continued  to  balance 
itself  high  in  air,  rising  and  dipping  to  the 
air  currents  as  it  swung  round  and  round 
in  widening  circles. 

It  often  happens  that  an  air  man,  finding 
himself  cut  ofT  from  all  escape,  sells  his  life 
as  dearly  as  possible  in  a  last  desperate  at- 
tack on  his  antagonist.  A  French  bombing 
aeroplane,  which  had  ventured  far  over  the 
German  lines,  was  once  set  on  fire  by  a  bullet 
entering  the  gasolene  tank.  The  pilot  knew 
he  would  be  burned  to  death  before  he  could 


THE  AIR  MAN 

reach  the  ground,  and  that  but  a  few  mo- 
ments of  life  were  left  him.  The  observers 
below  saw  him  turn  his  craft  sharply,  and 
fly  directly  toward  his  antagonist.  His  en- 
emy had  no  time  to  escape  the  collision. 
The  two  planes  came  together  with  a  crash 
that  could  be  heard  on  the  ground  far  be- 
neath, and  the  burning  wreckage  of  the  craft 
fell  together. 

An  accident,  without  precedent  in  war- 
fare, occurred  to  a  French  bombing  plane, 
and  death  was  averted  by  a  feat  of  daring 
which  will  long  be  remembered.  The  aero- 
plane was  about  to  descend  after  a  raid,  when 
the  pilot  discovered  that  two  of  his  bombs 
had  caught  in  the  rigging  below  the  car.  It 
was  impossible  to  land  without  exploding 
them  and  blowing  the  frail  craft  to  frag- 
ments. The  gasolene  already  was  running 
low,  and  some  desperate  expedient  must  be 
attempted  within  the  next  few  seconds. 
While  the  pilot  held  his  craft  to  an  even 
keel,  the  passenger  crawled  from  his  seat  to 
the  wing,  and  thence  to  the  rigging  below. 
The  bombs  must  be  released  with  the  great- 
est delicacy  to  prevent  their  exploding. 
176 


•"£:.,< 


AIR  DUELS 

Impossible  as  the  feat  seemed,  it  was  at  last 
accomplished  and  the  passenger  regained  his 
seat  in  safety. 

An  aeroplane  has  often  proved  itself  more 
than  a  match  for  its  antagonist  in  an  unequal 
encounter.  A  French  aviator  once  pene- 
trated far  behind  the  German  lines  and 
chanced  upon  a  heavily  laden  troop-train. 
The  speed  of  his  craft  being  fully  twice  that 
of  this  unusual  antagonist,  it  gave  him  an 
advantage  he  was  quick  to  use.  The  aero- 
plane flew  so  low  that  its  machine-gun  was 
brought  to  bear  upon  the  cars,  raking  them 
with  disastrous  results.  Still  flying  very 
low,  the  air  man  increased  his  speed  and,  on 
coming  abreast  of  the  locomotive,  shot  both 
engineer  and  fireman.  Left  to  itself,  the 
locomotive  raced  forward  uncontrolled,  and 
taking  a  sharp  curve  at  high  speed,  was 
wrecked  with  great  loss  of  life. 

In  all  airmanship  there  is  probably  no 
more  difficult  manoeuver  than  "shamming  a 
fall/'  which  a  pilot  may  resort  to  when  hard 
pushed  by  an  enemy.  This  trick  consists  in 
falling  from  the  plane  where  the  battle  is  in 
progress  for  thousands  of  feet  to  gain  time 
179 


THE  AIR  MAN 

and  dodge  the  pursuer.  The  aeroplane  may 
turn  its  tail  straight  up  and  shoot  downward 
in  a  spinning  nose-dive,  or  fall  in  side 
"stalls"  for  perhaps  a  mile,  when  it  suddenly 
flattens  out  and  makes  off  at  top  speed. 
This  bit  of  strategy  usually  enables  the  pilot 
to  gain  a  few  seconds  headway,  allowing 
him  to  make  good  his  escape. 

Even  routine  reports  of  the  aero-scouts 
read  like  the  most  fantastic  fiction.  To 
choose  almost  at  random,  take  the  experi- 
ence of  Lieutenant  R.  H.  Mulock,  R.N.,  a 
Canadian  air  man,  while  patrolling  the  Eng- 
lish coast  against  Zeppelin  night  attacks. 
His  aeroplane  was  armed  with  bombs,  gren- 
ades, and  a  revolver.  It  was  past  midnight 
and  a  moonless  and  starless  night  with  scur- 
rying clouds,  when  a  Zeppelin  was  sighted. 
It  was  steering  due  south,  and  the  aeroplane, 
laying  a  course  east  of  south,  started  to 
head  it  off.  The  Zeppelin  was  about  2000 
feet  up  and  had  started  to  drop  bombs,  when 
the  aeroplane  overtook  it.  Since  its  engines 
were  still,  the  lookout  heard  the  aeroplane 
coming,  located  it  by  flames  from  its  exhaust, 
180 


AIR  DUELS 

and  opened  fire  with  a  battery  of  rapid-fire 
guns. 

The  aeroplane  was  not  hit  and  the  Zeppe- 
lin now  rose  quickly,  steering  out  to  sea. 
The  scout-plane  chased  its  giant  antagonist 
up  to  an  8000  foot  level  and  across  to  the 
Belgian  coast,  where  both  craft  flew  into  the 
clouds.  The  aeroplane  scout  thereupon 
climbed  to  9500  feet,  and  "rambled  around" 
in  search  of  the  "Zepp,"  but  without  success. 
The  Zeppelin  had  probably  shut  off  her  en- 
gines and  after  locating  the  aeroplane  by  the 
roar  from  its  propellers,  changed  its  course 
and  escaped.  After  searching  about  in  the 
upper  level  for  some  time,  the  scout  turned 
homeward,  recrossing  the  North  Sea  and 
steering  by  compass  through  the  opaque 
darkness.  He  had  been  flying  for  some 
time  when  three  powerful  searchlights  shot 
up  from  below,  evidently  from  a  British 
cruiser  which  had  heard  his  engines.  The 
aeroplane  guns  of  these  cruisers,  as  the  pilot 
well  knew,  fire  at  any  aircraft  at  night.  He 
therefore  turned  and  flew  for  his  life.  His 
escape  was  managed  by  climbing  to  a  7500 
181 


THE  AIR  MAN 

foot  level,  and,  since  night  landing  is  peril- 
ous, he  loitered  around  above  the  North  Sea 
until  sunrise,  when  he  could  find  his  way 
safely  home. 

The  least  likely  antagonist  an  aeroplane 
would  be  expected  to  encounter  is  the  sub- 
marine. Since  one  operates  far  above  the 
sea  and  the  other  below  its  surface,  each 
would  seem  to  be  safe  from  the  other's  at- 
tacks. The  aeroplane  is,  besides,  so  frail  a 
craft  and  so  vulnerable  to  any  gun-fire,  that 
the  sea-craft  would  seem  to  have  every  ad- 
vantage in  any  match  of  strength.  Several 
such  encounters  have  actually  taken  place, 
however,  which  completely  upset  military 
prophecies.  A  French  biplane,  while  scout- 
ing near  Nieuport  one  bright  day  at  a  two 
thousand  foot  elevation,  sighted  two  Ger- 
man submarines.  The  air  man  instantly 
plunged  in  great  circles.  The  U-boats  soon 
saw  their  danger  and  sought  to  escape.  The 
air  man  was  favored  by  the  fact  that  the 
sea  hereabouts  is  comparatively  shallow, 
making  it  impossible  for  the  under-sea-craft 
to  dive  to  a  safe  depth. 

One  of  the  U-boats  escaped  by  steaming 
182 


A  Turkish  aeroplane  division 


The  great  French  air  man  Pegoud  starting  on  his  last  flight 


AIR  DUELS 

at  top  speed  in  great  zigzags.  The  aero- 
plane let  it  go  and  turned  to  the  other.  It 
approached  its  victim  in  great,  swooping  cir- 
cles. Despite  frantic  efforts,  the  submarine 
proved  no  match  in  speed  for  the  aircraft. 
The  air  pilot  selected  his  position  and,  at  a 
height  of  scarcely  three  hundred  feet,  let 
go  the  first  bomb.  It  struck  the  target 
fairly,  doing  great  damage.  The  submarine 
was  now  at  the  air  man's  mercy.  He  cir- 
cled twice  about  to  gain  the  best  position,  and 
dropped  a  second  bomb  which  broke  the  boat 
fairly  in  two,  sinking  it.  The  first  U-boat, 
meanwhile,  had  doubtless  signaled  by  wire- 
less for  help,  so  that  German  aeroplanes 
might  be  expected  at  any  moment.  With- 
out waiting  to  attack  the  remaining  boat,  the 
aeroplane  climbed  to  a  high  altitude  and  re- 
turned at  top  speed  to  its  base  at  Dunkirk. 
A  code  of  international  law  governing  air- 
craft remains  to  be  written.  In  view  of  the 
tragic  misunderstandings  which  have  oc- 
curred over  laws  governing  the  sea,  it  is 
obviously  important  that  all  nations  should 
quickly  come  to  an  understanding  as  to  the 
rights  of  flying  craft.  An  interesting  at- 

185 


THE  AIR  MAN 

tempt  has  already  been  made  to  formulate 
such  a  code  by  the  Pan-American  Confer- 
ence. It  was  suggested  first  that  all  space 
above  the  earth,  too  high  to  be  utilized  by 
the  owner  of  the  ground  beneath,  be  con- 
sidered public  property.  All  nations  are  to 
have  sovereign  rights  to  the  space  dominated 
by  their  territories,  and  all  private  aero- 
planes belonging  to  citizens  and  legal  resi- 
dents of  a  country  shall  have  right  of  passage 
through  the  air  above  other  nations.  It  is 
suggested  that  public  aircraft  shall  have 
the  nationality  of  the  country  to  which  they 
belong,  and  that  private  machines  take  the 
nationality  of  the  individual  owning  them. 
The  hyphenated  aeroplane  is  not  provided 
for  as  yet.  All  aircraft  should  carry  dis- 
tinctive badges  of  nationality  and  be  offi- 
cially registered.  All  nations  should  "en- 
deavor" not  to  harm  neutrals  during  war- 
fare, or  to  restrict  their  air-commerce.  The 
new  code  also  provides  that  aeroplanes  shall 
be  employed  by  the  Red  Cross  for  errands  of 
mercy. 


186 


CHAPTER  IX 

AMERICAN    AIR    MEN   UNDER   FIRE 

THE  defense  of  the  Mexican  border  in 
1916  offered  the  first  opportunity  for 
active  service  to  the  air  men  of  the  United 
States  army.  On  mobilization  of  the 
troops,  eight  tractor  biplanes  were  shipped 
to  the  border  to  accompany  the  punitive  ex- 
pedition. The  aeroplanes  had  scarcely  ar- 
rived, however,  before  their  troubles  began. 
Every  adverse  influence  known  to  air  pilots, 
and  some  entirely  new  dangers,  were  en- 
countered. The  desert  grows  a  low  bush 
which  proved  dangerous  to  machines  in  ris- 
ing and  landing.  The  sand  also  was  soft, 
and  the  wheels  sank  so  deeply  that  it  was 
difficult  to  get  up  sufficient  speed  to  leave  the 
ground.  The  heat,  too,  played  unexpected 
tricks.  The  water  in  the  radiators  often 
stood  at  1 20  degrees  with  the  motor  at  rest. 
The  propellers  which  had  stood  the  usual 
187 


THE  AIR  MAN 

tests  at  the  factories,  many  times  flew  to 
pieces  after  a  few  minutes'  work  in  this  ex- 
cessively dry  climate.  Every  part  of  the 
machine  seemed  to  deteriorate  at  an  annoy- 
ing rate. 

Once  in  the  air,  the  aviator's  problems 
increased.  The  heat  of  the  sun,  beating  on 
the  desert,  started  perplexing  air-currents 
which  often  developed  into  whirlwinds. 
Aeroplanes  standing  at  rest  would  be  caught 
up  and  overturned.  The  difficulties  of  fly- 
ing under  such  conditions  seemed  insur- 
mountable. 

American  aviators  have  never  before 
faced  these  problems.  The  fighting  air  men 
with  the  European  armies  have  had  no  such 
experience,  except  in  flying  over  the  Alps. 
Some  of  the  mountains  crossed  in  Mexico 
are  9000  feet  in  height.  Here  the  air  is 
very  thin  and  treacherous  air-currents  are 
encountered  which  are  new  to  even  the  most 
experienced  flyers.  Many  of  the  daring  air 
men  sent  up  in  the  Alps  on  similar  flights 
have  never  returned. 

Within  a  few  hours  after  their  arrival  on 
the  Mexican  border,  the  aeroplane  division, 
1 88 


AIR  MEN  UNDER  FIRE 

nevertheless,  had  proved  its  usefulness. 
The  cavalry  columns  were  pushing  forward 
so  rapidly  into  Mexico  that  General  Per- 
shing  could  only  guess  at  their  whereabouts. 
For  days  they  were  beyond  the  range  of 
wireless  and  field-telegraph  communication. 
The  air  men  quickly  solved  the  baffling  prob- 
lem of  this  region,  however,  by  overtaking 
the  advance  columns  and  establishing  regu- 
lar communication  with  their  base.  Read- 
ers of  newspapers  at  the  time  of  the  punitive 
expedition  will  probably  recall  the  date-line, 
"General  Pershing's  Camp  at  the  Front, 
via  aeroplane  to  Columbus,  New  Mexico." 
One  of  the  most  valuable  services  of  the  air 
men  in  the  Mexican  expedition  was  the 
maintenance  of  this  daily  mail-service  be- 
tween Columbus,  N.  M.,  and  Colonia  Dub- 
Ian,  Mexico,  General  Pershing's  headquar- 
ters. It  required  four  days  to  send  the  mail 
by  trucks,  but  the  distance  of  120  miles  was 
regularly  covered  by  army  aeroplanes  in 
sixty-six  minutes,  while  carrying  from  250 
to  300  pounds  of  mail. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  flights  of  the 
campaign  is  credited  to  Lieutenant  Dargue 
191 


THE  AIR  MAN 

while  on  mail-service  duty.  The  start  was 
made  at  the  head  of  the  column  at  5 115  A.  M. 
on  April  n,  a  "quartering"  wind  helping  his 
speed.  After  flying  200  miles,  he  came 
down  at  one  of  the  stations  to  deliver  de- 
spatches and  examine  his  machine.  Twenty 
minutes  later,  he  was  again  in  the  air  on  his 
way  to  Columbus.  During  a  great  part  of 
the  trip,  he  flew  at  an  elevation  of  10,000 
feet.  He  arrived  at  Columbus  at  9:25, 
covering  the  350  miles  in  230  minutes. 

The  record  flight  in  scouting  was  made 
a  few  days  later.  Despite  the  bitter  cold 
of  the  upper  regions,  the  aeroplane  quickly 
rose  to  7000  feet  which,  added  to  the  alti- 
tude of  Columbus,  carried  it  11,000  feet 
above  sea-level.  Keeping  high  up  to  avoid 
the  winds,  it  flew  cross-country  for  four 
hours  and  five  minutes.  The  cold  froze  the 
pilot's  mustache,  and  it  was  only  by  pound- 
ing continuously  for  half  an  hour  that  circu- 
lation was  restored.  On  descending,  he 
passed  through  a  wind-storm  which  rocked 
the  aeroplane  so  violently  that  he  would 
have  been  tossed  out  had  he  not  been  se- 
curely lashed  to  his  seat. 
192 


AIR  MEN  UNDER  FIRE 

It  was  soon  found  that  the  ninety-horse- 
power aeroplanes  of  the  army  were  not  pow- 
erful enough  to  cross  the  higher  mountain 
ranges  in  this  region,  so  that  pluck,  com- 
bined with  skilful  airmanship,  had  to  be  de- 
pended upon  to  solve  these  problems.  The 
only  way  an  air  man  could  pass  a  mountain- 
range  was  to  search  out  a  canon  or  pass 
and  wind  his  way  through  it.  Such  flying 
is  extra-hazardous  since  at  one  moment  the 
air  man  will  be  but  a  few  feet  above  the 
ground,  and  the  next  may  jump  off  a  preci- 
pice, finding  himself  at  an  altitude  of  two 
thousand  feet  or  more.  Lieutenant  Dargue 
was  crossing  the  mountains  one  day,  when 
he  flew  into  a  blinding  snow-storm  which 
shut  out  objects  even  a  few  yards  before 
him.  He  had  been  blown  off  his  course  and 
was  completely  lost,  when  a  small  plateau, 
just  large  enough  for.  landing,  suddenly 
loomed  up  below  him.  He  landed  here  to 
find  himself  7000  feet  up  in  the  mountains. 
As  soon  as  the  snow  abated  a  little,  he  took 
the  air  again  and  later  discovered  a  village  in 
the  mountains  where  he  came  down  to  learn 
his  whereabouts.  With  the  aid  of  a  map 
193 


THE  AIR  MAN 

and  compass,  he  oriented  and  proceeded  to 
wind  his  way  through  the  mountain  passes. 
After  two  hours  of  continuous  flying,  he 
came  at  last  to  familiar  territory. 

In  flying  over  an  isolated  region,  es- 
pecially a  desert,  the  air  men  face  a  unique 
danger.  Two  or  three  hours'  flight  will,  of 
course,  carry  them  as  many  hundred  miles, 
and  should  their  aeroplanes  fail  them,  they 
may  find  themselves  hopelessly  far  from 
assistance.  A  flight  of  five  hours  can 
scarcely  be  retraced  in  as  many  days,  and  the 
lack  of  food  and  water  threatens  starvation. 
Two  army  air  men  found  themselves  in  just 
such  a  plight  while  attempting  a  flight  over 
the  desert  of  Sonora,  Mexico.  The  officers, 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Harry  G.  Bishop  and 
Lieutenant  W.  A.  Robertson,  took  the  air  at 
eight  o'clock  one  morning,  intending  to 
cross  a  mountain-range  to  the  eastward. 

The  maps  followed  by  the  pilots  proved 
inaccurate  and  the  course  had  to  be  steered 
entirely  by  compass.  In  order  to  keep  north 
of  the  Mexican  border,  a  course  was  laid 
twenty-five  degrees  north  of  east.  It  was 
necessary  to  rise  to  an  altitude  of  7000  feet 
194 


AIR  MEN  UNDER  FIRE 

to  cross  the  mountains,  and  in  these  upper 
regions  a  strong  wind  was  encountered. 
The  pilots  made  no  allowance  for  their  drift 
and  soon  were  far  off  their  course. 

The  aeroplane  was  turned  southeast  at  a 
venture,  and  after  a  flight  of  thirty  min- 
utes, a  large  body  of  water  was  sighted. 
The  atmosphere  being  hazy,  the  water  was 
mistaken  for  the  Salton  Sea.  Meanwhile 
the  gasolene  supply  was  running  low,  and  it 
was  decided  to  search  for  the  tracks  of  the 
Southern  Pacific  railroad  which  could  be 
followed  to  safety.  The  strong  wind  from 
the  north  had  not  only  caused  the  aeroplane 
to  drift  many  miles  off  its  course  but  had 
greatly  increased  its  speed,  so  that  the  pilot 
was  far  off  his  reckoning.  After  searching 
for  thirty  minutes  more  and  flying  as  many 
miles,  it  was  decided  to  land  and  investigate. 
Coming  down,  the  aeroplane  struck  a  soft 
spot,  tipped  over,  and  a  propeller  was 
broken,  putting  the  machine  out  of  com- 
mission. The  aeroplane  had  been  aloft  for 
nearly  five  hours,  having  covered  several 
hundred  miles. 

The  air  men  had  flown  without  supplies, 


THE  AIR  MAN 

except  for  a  couple  of  sandwiches  and  two 
oranges.  The  tank  of  the  aeroplane,  how- 
ever, contained  a  considerable  supply  of 
water.  An  oil-can  was  filled  from  the  tank, 
and  the  soldiers  abandoned  their  machine 
and  started  to  walk  back.  Steering  by  com- 
pass, they  took  a  northern  course,  walking 
day  and  night.  The  food  was  soon  gone 
but  the  water  lasted  several  days.  Two 
days  later,  Lieutenant  Bishop  grew  so  weak 
he  could  walk  no  further,  and  Lieutenant 
Robertson  was  obliged  to  leave  him  and  push 
on  alone. 

Meanwhile,  several  searching  parties  on 
foot,  in  automobiles  and  aeroplanes  had 
started  out  to  search  for  the  lost  air  men. 
As  day  after  day  passed  without  news,  it 
was  feared  that  the  men  were  lost  beyond 
hope.  The  search  was  watched  anxiously 
by  the  entire  country.  When  hope  had 
been  almost  abandoned,  Lieutenant  Rob- 
ertson limped  into  the  camp  of  one  of  the 
searching  parties.  He  had  chanced  upon 
the  trail  of  the  party,  the  marks  of  a  corru- 
gated automobile  tire  upon  the  sand,  and 
run  them  down.  A  party  at  once  set  out  to 
196 


AIR  MEN  UNDER  FIRE 

find  Lieutenant  Bishop  and  reached  him  late 
in  the  evening  of  the  same  day.  He  was 
too  weak  to  move,  but  still  conscious.  Even 
with  use  of  automobiles,  a  day  was  required 
to  cover  the  distance  which  the  aeroplanes 
had  traversed  in  a  few  hours. 

Another  army  air  man,  Lieutenant  Gor- 
rell,  was  missing  for  five  days,  causing  the 
liveliest  anxiety,  but  finally  returned  to 
camp  in  his  own  machine.  His  craft,  one 
of  a  fleet  of  aeroplanes  which  had  started 
out  from  Columbus,  New  Mexico,  while  fly- 
ing over  an  uninhabited  plateau  on  the  shore 
of  Lake  Frederico,  became  separated  from 
the  other  planes  and  lost  its  way.  He  had 
flown  many  miles,  searching  for  a  way  out, 
when  his  gasolene  tank  sprung  a  leak  and 
forced  him  to  land.  Without  fuel  he  was, 
of  course,  hopelessly  marooned.  The  coun- 
try was  inhabited,  as  he  had  seen  from  aloft, 
and  there  was  the  danger  of  meeting  wild 
animals  or  bandits.  After  walking  for  six 
miles,  he  came  across  a  wagon-trail  where 
he  placed  a  note,  tied  to  a  stick,  telling  of  his 
condition  and  whereabouts.  He  then  re- 
turned to  guard  his  aeroplane.  He  had  had 
197 


THE  AIR  MAN 

three  days'  provisions,  but  these  had  been 
exhausted,  and  he  had  been  without  food  for 
twenty- four  hours  when  a  relief  party  found 
him.  The  scouting  party  luckily  carried  a 
supply  of  gasolene.  Lieutenant  Gorrell  sol- 
dered up  the  tank  of  his  machine  and  flew 
back  to  his  base  in  less  than  an  hour. 

The  army  air  men  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  scouting,  even  directly  above  enemy 
forces,  was  comparatively  safe.  It  was 
estimated  that  the  chances  of  being  hit  while 
flying  at  high  altitude  was  perhaps  one  in  a 
million.  The  aeroplanes  were  repeatedly 
under,  or  should  one  say,  over  fire.  The  air 
men  reported  that  they  could  readily  see  the 
flashes  of  the  guns  trained  on  them,  but  that 
the  roar  of  the  propellers  drowned  the  re- 
ports, even  of  the  seven-inch  guns.  The 
greatest  danger  encountered  was  in  carrying 
despatches  over  mountainous  regions  while 
battling  with  dangerous  and  unfamiliar  air- 
currents.  In  one  of  these  flights,  Lieuten- 
ant Dargue  covered  165  miles  in  two  hours 
and  twenty-five  minutes.  In  flying  over  a 
mountain  pass  at  a  4000  foot  altitude,  an 
eddy  caused  him  to  drop  suddenly,  and  he 
198 


AIR  MEN  UNDER  FIRE 

only  succeeded  in  righting  his  machine  with- 
in fifty  feet  of  the  ground. 

Several  of  the  air  men  were  severely  in- 
jured. The  experience  of  Lieutenant  T.  S. 
Bowen,  who  was  badly  shaken  up  in  a  fall 
at  Casas  Grandes,  illustrates  the  unexpected 
dangers  encountered  by  the  air-scouts. 
Bowen's  nose  was  broken  and  his  face  was 
placed  in  a  plaster  cast,  but  he  was  never- 
theless enthusiastic  about  his  work.  He 
had  flown  sixty-five  miles  ahead  of  the  ad- 
vancing column  and  made  valuable  observa- 
tions. Flying  at  an  altitude  of  5500  feet, 
he  had  reached  Ascension  without  mishap 
and  was  nearing  Casas  Grandes,  when  the 
wind  became  "puffy."  By  skilful  airman- 
ship, he  worked  his  way  down  to  an  eleva- 
tion of  but  sixty-five  feet,  when  his  aero- 
plane "side  slipped,"  and  he  came  down  al- 
most head  first.  With  a  desperate  effort,  he 
strove  to  right  his  machine,  and  would  have 
succeeded  if  he  had  been  twenty-five  feet 
higher.  The  machine  was  badly  smashed 
and  Bowen  remained  unconscious  for  half 
an  hour. 

One  of  the  narrowest  escapes  was  re- 
201 


THE  AIR  MAN 

ported  by  Lieutenant  Willis  who  was  obliged 
to  descend  in  the  enemy's  country  more  than 
forty  miles  from  camp.  In  landing  in  the 
dark,  he  struck  some  object  which  put  his 
aeroplane  out  of  commission.  While  trying 
to  find  his  way  back,  he  came  across  a  bonfire 
of  railroad  ties  and  was  examining  it,  when 
three  armed  Mexicans  rushed  upon  him. 
He  fought  them  off  and  hid  in  the  under- 
brush. He  had  been  given  up  for  lost  by 
searching  parties,  when  he  limped  into 
camp.  The  aeroplane  was  recovered  and 
brought  back  by  an  armed  auto-truck. 

The  Mexican  campaign  established  the 
fact  that  American  air  men  are  the  equal  in 
skill  and  daring  of  any  in  the  world.  In 
the  face  of  unprecedented  difficulties  and 
equipped  with  inefficient  aeroplanes,  they  set 
new  records  for  altitude  and  distance 
flights  in  army  work.  With  high-powered 
machines  capable  of  climbing  to  an  altitude 
of  15,000  feet  and  of  carrying  an  observer 
and  a  military  load,  our  air  men  would 
doubtless  have  succeeded  in  locating  Villa 
and  his  army  in  a  few  hours. 

The  American  aeroplanes  made  a  tremen- 
202 


AIR  MEN  UNDER  FIRE 

dous  sensation  in  Mexico  where  most  of  the 
population  saw  the  new  craft  for  the  first 
time.  A  circus  could  scarcely  have  at- 
tracted as  much  attention.  Since  they  were 
not  bent  on  destruction,  but  were  only  on 
scout  or  messenger  details,  the  natives  sel- 
dom resented  their  presence.  In  some  of 
the  smaller  towns  of  the  interior,  they  were 
sometimes  pelted  with  stones  by  small  boys, 
but  as  a  rule  the  air  men  were  shown  every 
courtesy.  The  local  newspapers  always 
spoke  in  friendly  terms  of  the  curious  vis- 
itors who  descended  upon  them  from  the 
skies,  and  urged  that  the  American  air- 
scouts  be  treated  with  every  consideration. 
General  Carranza's  chief  of  staff  once  in- 
vited some  visiting  air  men  to  his  home  and, 
on  their  leaving,  sent  a  present  of  tobacco 
by  aeroplane  to  the  American  troops. 


203 


CHAPTER  X 

THE    CHIVALRY   OF   THE   AIR 

IN  facing  the  appalling  hazards  of  aerial 
warfare  the  air  men  of  the  embattled 
armies  show  themselves  to  be  incomparable 
sportsmen.  They  fight  without  rancor,  and 
even  when  their  lives  hang  in  the  balance, 
observe  a  rigid  etiquette.  At  the  beginning 
of  the  great  war  few  rules  had  been  laid 
down  to  govern  aerial  encounters.  The 
amazing  development  of  the  warplane  and 
of  airmanship  had  not  been  anticipated  by 
any  Hague  Conference.  Although  the  dan- 
gers of  such  warfare  has  increased  beyond 
all  precedent  the  air  men  on  every  front  have 
vied  with  one  another  in  the  display  of  gal- 
lantry. During  many  encounters  at  terri- 
fying altitudes,  where  the  slightest  miscalcu- 
lation invited  instant  death,  the  duelists  of 
the  air  have  refused  to  take  an  unfair  ad- 
vantage. The  psychology  of  all  this  is  per- 
204 


THE  CHIVALRY  OF  THE  AIR 

haps  obscure  and  at  times  their  chivalry 
seems  almost  quixotic. 

In  the  ancient  etiquette  of  knighthood, 
there  was  no  tribute  to  a  fallen  foe  more 
chivalrous  than  the  "round  of  honor"  com- 
monly observed  to-day  among  air  men. 
When  an  antagonist  is  "driven  down,"  the 
survivor  willingly  endangers  his  life  to  pay 
a  unique  tribute.  On  the  day  following  the 
duel,  the  victor  returns  and  decorates  the 
place  where  his  antagonist  fell.  His  aero- 
plane may  be  the  target  for  many  batteries  of 
anti-aircraft  guns,  which  mistake  his  errand, 
so  that  he  may  be  obliged  to  fly  at  high  alti- 
tudes, facing  adverse  air  conditions,  but  the 
"round  of  honor/'  nevertheless,  is  carefully 
observed.  On  reaching  the  region  of  the  en- 
counter, flowers  are  thrown  out  to  float  gen- 
tly down  to  the  scene  of  the  tragic  landing. 

It  is  astounding  to  find  these  duelists  of 
the  air  sinking  all  personal  animosity  in  their 
encounters.  The  men  who  meet  aloft  are 
often  well-known  to  one  another  by  reputa- 
tion, perhaps  are  personal  friends.  Should 
both  survive  the  duel  and  chance  to  meet  aft- 
erwards, it  is  in  a  spirit  of  good-comrade- 
205 


THE  AIR  MAN 

ship.  A  desperate  encounter  took  place  one 
day  between  the  famous  German  aviator 
Boelke  and  a  Frenchman,  in  which  the 
French  pilot  was  wounded  and  forced  to 
descend  in  German,  territory.  He  landed 
safely,  and  was  instantly  made  a  prisoner  of 
war.  The  following  day  Boelke  called  at 
the  military  prison  and  invited  his  van- 
quished foe  to  lunch  with  him,  when  the 
details  of  the  encounter  were  recalled  with 
perfect  good-nature. 

When  the  great  Boelke  fell,  the  news  of 
his  death  spread  quickly.  It  must  have  been 
by  some  roundabout  route  that  the  news 
reached  France  which  made  the  promptness 
of  her  tribute  remarkable.  Boelke  was 
credited  with  having  brought  down  two- 
score  aeroplanes  of  the  Allies  in  brilliant  air- 
duels,  but  his  good  sportsmanship  was 
highly  esteemed  by  his  enemies.  Within  a 
few  hours  after  his  fall,  a  French  aeroplane 
appeared  over  his  camp  and  dropped  an  elab- 
orate wreath  with  a  message  of  respect.  It 
is  part  of  the  etiquette  that  at  such  times  no 
trouble  be  spared  in  forwarding  these  trib- 
utes. 

206 


THE  CHIVALRY  OF  THE  AIR 

It  is  understood  when  an  air  man  is  dis- 
abled that  he  may  signal  his  surrender  by 
holding  both  arms  above  his  head.  The 
steering-control  of  the  aeroplane,  mean- 
while, may  be  fixed  so  that  the  craft  con- 
tinues to  guide  itself.  On  recognizing  this 
signal  the  air  man  instantly  ceases  his  at- 
tack. To  fire  on  an  enemy  after  such  a  sur- 
render would  be  equivalent  to  firing  on  a 
white  flag,  and  it  is  a  point  of  honor  among 
all  air  men  never  to  abuse  the  signal.  Even 
though  an  air  man  could  save  his  life  with  a 
gesture,  by  gaining  time  to  escape,  the  chiv- 
alry of  the  air  would  not  permit  him  to  pur- 
chase his  life  at  such  a  price. 

The  air  men  in  the  eastern  theater  of  war 
are  no  less  chivalrous.  Both  the  Austrian 
and  Russian  aviators  are  extremely  punc- 
tilious. When  an  aeroplane  is  brought 
down  in  the  territory  of  either  combatant,  it 
is  the  duty  of  the  victor  to  inform  the 
friends  of  the  fallen  enemy  of  his  condition. 
The  day  following  the  encounter,  the  victor 
flies  over  the  enemy's  territory  and  drops  a 
small  bomb  in  open  country  to  attract  atten- 
tion. He  then  drops  a  stone  carrying  a  long 
207 


THE  AIR  MAN 

streamer  which  may  be  seen  from  a  consid- 
erable distance  which  guides  the  soldiers  to 
the  spot  where  it  falls.  Wrapped  around 
the  stone  will  be  found  a  complete  statement 
of  the  condition  of  the  fallen  air  man.  If 
he  has  been  killed,  the  disposition  of  the 
body  and  location  of  the  grave  is  given,  while 
if  he  survives,  his  exact  condition  is  stated 
and  messages  may  even  be  sent  to  his 
friends.  Daily  bulletins  of  his  condition 
may  follow. 

The  parents  of  a  German  air  man  whose 
home  is  in  New  York  recently  received  a 
touching  letter  from  a  French  officer  an- 
nouncing with  respectful  sympathy  the  death 
of  their  son  at  the  front.  The  writer  ex- 
plained that  he  had  engaged  his  antagonist 
at  a  high  altitude  somewhere  above  French 
territory,  and  after  a  spirited  air  duel  had 
driven  him  down.  The  Frenchman  had 
learned  his  name  and  the  New  York  address 
of  his  parents  from  papers  found  in  his  pock- 
ets and  wrote  to  explain  that  his  antagonist 
had  died  like  a  soldier  and  had  been  buried 
with  military  honors. 

Such  communications  are  always  ex- 
208 


THE  CHIVALRY  OF  THE  AIR 

pressed  with  formal  politeness.  There  is 
never  a  word  of  insult  or  abuse.  The  air 
men  vie  with  one  another  in  courtesy.  At 
times,  either  side  may  permit  themselves  a 
little  irony,  but  even  then,  incredible  as  it 
may  seem,  the  letters  are  written  in  a  spirit 
of  good-natured  fun.  The  air  men  who 
have  met  in  perilous  encounter  several  miles 
in  air,  actually  joke  with  one  another  over 
dangers  which  might  have  daunted  Caesar. 
When  the  death  of  a  fallen  air  man  is  an- 
nounced, the  letter  is  written  with  respectful 
sympathy.  To  understand  this  spirit,  it 
must  be  remembered  that  the  air  men  are  re- 
cruited from  the  best  families  of  the  coun- 
tries engaged,  many  of  them  being  titled. 

A  particularly  daring  Russian  raider  ap- 
peared over  Austrian  territory  one  day,  and 
was  quickly  engaged  at  a  high  altitude. 
After  a  spirited  encounter,  the  Russian  sig- 
naled surrender  by  throwing  up  his  arms, 
and  drifted  slowly  to  earth.  When  the 
Austrians  below  made  him  prisoner,  they 
were  surprised  to  find  him  sobbing  bitterly. 
They  supposed  naturally  the  Russian  had 
been  told  he  would  be  treated  badly,  and  has- 

211 


THE  AIR  MAN 

tened  to  reassure  him.  When  he  could  con- 
trol his  voice,  he  explained  that  he  was  not 
worried  about  his  treatment,  but  that  on  the 
following  day  he  was  to  have  gone  to  Petro- 
grad  on  leave  of  absence  to  be  married. 

Although  the  country  for  miles  about  was 
devastated,  the  Austrian  officers  searched 
until  they  found  a  beautiful  bouquet  of  flow- 
ers. On  the  following  day,  the  victor  of 
the  air  duel  flew  above  the  Russian  aviation 
headquarters  and  dropped  the  flowers  with 
a  long  streamer  of  silk  ribbon.  Tied  to  the 
flowers  was  a  charming  letter  addressed  to 
the  fiancee  of  the  fallen  air  man.  The  mes- 
sage described  the  brave  fight  their  captive 
had  made,  and  his  courage  and  loyalty  in 
fighting  for  his  flag.  He  was  unavoidably 
detained  from  keeping  his  appointment  at 
Petrograd,  the  letter  explained,  but  the  lady 
was  assured  he  was  among  sympathetic 
friends  who  would  consider  it  a  point  of 
honor  to  return  him,  after  the  war,  safe  and 
sound.  The  letter  was  signed  by  all  the  offi- 
cers of  the  aviation  corps.  The  message 
reached  its  destination,  and  a  few  days  later 
a  Russian  air  man  flew  over  the  Austrian 
212 


THE  CHIVALRY  OF  THE  AIR 

trenches  and  dropped  a  letter  in  reply  from 
the  lady  herself.  The  heroes  of  pageantry, 
who  fought  valiantly  for  a  lady's  glove  or 
kerchief,  could  scarcely  have  done  more. 

Invariably,  when  an  air  man  is  brought 
down  and  captured,  he  is  paid  more  than  the 
customary  honors  of  war.  He  is  received 
as  a  social  equal  and  often  becomes  the  hero 
of  the  camp.  One  of  the  first  attentions  is 
to  assign  an  orderly  to  wait  upon  him,  who 
replaces  the  valet  he  probably  left  at  home. 
The  prisoner  is  established  in  the  best  quar- 
ters available  and  granted  every  personal 
liberty  consistent  with  his  position.  It  is 
even  common  to  place  an  automobile  with  a 
chauffeur  at  his  disposal.  The  prisoner  is 
supplied  with  books,  papers  and  delicacies. 
He  is  visited  regularly  by  his  fellow  air  men 
and  entertained  as  far  as  military  regula- 
tions will  permit.  His  conditional  hosts 
bring  photographs  and  drawings  of  their 
aeroplanes,  and  he  discusses  the  technical 
points  of  their  machines.  There  have  been 
many  such  meetings  both  on  French,  Ger- 
man, and  Russian  soil. 

The  captors  often  go  to  extraordinary 
213 


THE  AIR  MAN 

trouble  to  serve  their  enforced  "guest." 
Two  English  air  men  were  once  brought 
down  without  injury  in  German  territory. 
By  some  chance,  they  had  flown  that  day 
without  their  uniforms.  The  German  offi- 
cers managed  in  some  way  to  notify  the 
Englishmen's  comrades  of  this  fact,  and  a 
few  hours  later  a  British  aeroplane  appeared 
over  the  German  base  and  dropped  pack- 
ages which  contained  the  proper  uniforms 
with  a  change  of  underclothing  and  toilet 
articles. 

An  air  man  will  face  serious  danger  in  or- 
der to  observe  punctiliously  the  letter  of  the 
etiquette  of  the  air.  In  flying  before  a  re- 
viewing officer  or  some  distinguished  visitor, 
it  is  considered  good  form  to  dip  the  aero- 
plane by  way  of  salute.  Many  air  men  have 
insisted  on  carrying  out  this  somewhat  dan- 
gerous manoeuver  despite  dangerous  condi- 
tions. During  a  recent  review  of  the  avi- 
ation corps  in  northern  France,  two  aero- 
planes found  themselves  in  a  crowded  course 
when  one  pilot,  recognizing  a  superior  officer 
in  the  approaching  craft,  risked  his  life  in 
order  to  give  his  superior  the  right  of  way. 
214 


THE  CHIVALRY  OF  THE  AIR 

The  chivalry  of  the  air  is  observed  with 
pride  throughout  Europe.  A  friend  of  the 
writer  chanced  to  be  in  a  moving-picture 
theater  in  Berlin  during  the  war,  when  a 
film  was  shown  of  the  burial  of  a  British 
air  man.  The  coffin,  as  a  special  mark  of 
honor,  was  borne  on  the  shoulders  of  Ger- 
man officers.  After  the  customary  salute 
had  been  fired,  the  officers  of  the  aviation 
corps  saluted  the  grave.  The  special  pathos 
of  the  scene  lay  in  the  fact  that  the  men,  all 
of  whom  were  young  and  strong,  limped 
badly,  for  accidents  to  the  legs  and  feet  in 
landing  are  common.  Each  of  the  officers 
in  turn  paused  at  the  open  grave,  and 
dropped  a  rose  upon  the  coffin  of  the  fallen 
enemy. 

The  coffin  was  wrapped  in  a  British  flag 
and  at  the  sight  of  it,  some  one  in  an  upper 
gallery  of  the  theater  hissed.  Instantly  the 
audience  was  on  its  feet  in  angry  protest. 
A  riot  was  threatened  and  cries  of  "throw 
him  out!"  were  heard  on  all  sides.  When 
the  lights  were  turned  on,  the  ushers  found 
the  disturber  was  merely  a  boy  of  fourteen 
who  had  no  sympathies.  The  protest  had 
217 


THE  AIR  MAN 

been  perfectly  spontaneous.  Before  the  pic- 
tures were  continued,  a  lady  rose  in  the  audi- 
ence and,  in  a  touching  speech,  apolo- 
gized for  the  insult.  She  explained  that 
doubtless  there  were  foreigners  present,  and 
hoped  that  the  attitude  of  the  German  people 
would  not  be  misunderstood.  She  had  three 
sons  at  the  front,  she  declared,  and  if  they 
fell,  could  only  hope  they  would  be  treated 
with  equal  honors. 

The  same  correspondent,  before  leaving 
Berlin  a  few  days  later,  called  upon  one  of 
the  censors  to  pay  his  respects  and  thank 
him  for  many  courtesies.  The  official,  an 
old  general,  on  learning  that  the  corre- 
spondent was  returning  to  America,  asked 
him  to  translate  a  singularly  touching  letter 
he  had  received  from  an  English  clergyman 
informing  him  that  his  only  grandson,  an  air 
man,  had  fallen  and  been  buried  with  all  the 
honors  of  war  by  British  aviators.  The 
English  officers  had  chosen  the  clergyman, 
evidently  a  man  of  culture,  to  write  to  break 
the  news  as  gently  as  possible. 

The  spirit  of  chivalry  is  common  to  the 
air  men  of  all  the  embattled  armies.  Dur- 
218 


THE  CHIVALRY  OF  THE  AIR 

ing  one  of  the  German  air-raids  upon  Lon- 
don, a  Zeppelin  was  brought  down,  all  the 
crew  being  killed  in  the  fall.  Public  feel- 
ing against  the  invaders  ran  high,  and 
there  was  a  general  feeling  against  burying 
the  dead  with  military  honors.  Despite  vio- 
lent opposition,  the  British  aviators  insisted 
that  the  Germans  be  buried  with  all  the  hon- 
ors of  war.  It  was  due  to  their  efforts  that 
the  plans  were  finally  changed,  and  in  the 
funeral  British  aviators  acted  as  pall- 
bearers. 


219 


CHAPTER  XI 

AMERICAN    AIR   FORCES 

TO  America  belongs  the  credit  of  appre- 
ciating the  value  of  the  aeroplane  in 
warfare,  both  for  the  army  and  navy,  and  of 
making,  however  crudely,  its  first  practical 
application.  The  first  army  flight,  and  the 
date  is  historic,  was  made  near  Washington 
in  1909  by  Wilbur  Wright  in  the  presence  of 
President  Taft  and  other  Government  offi- 
cials. The  first  naval  flight  followed  two 
years  later.  For  a  brief  period  the  United 
States  enjoyed  the  distinction  of  holding  the 
mastery  of  the  air. 

While  the  air  fleets  of  Europe  have  devel- 
oped at  an  amazing  rate,  it  is  gratifying  to 
know  that  some  of  the  most  coveted  records 
for  flying  are  still  held  by  United  States 
army  and  naval  aviators.  A  world's  record 
for  altitude  was  made  by  Lieutenant  Richard 
C.  Saufley,  U.  S.  N.,  on  December  3,  1916, 
220 


Looking  astern  from  an  aeroplane  in  flight 


An  aeroplane  returning  to  its  hangar 


AMERICAN  AIR  FORCES 

when  he  flew  in  a  hydroaeroplane  to  a  height 
of  12,136  feet,  which  he  bettered  on  March 
29,  when  he  climbed  in  three  hours  to  16,700 
feet. 

The  first  air  men  to  fly  under  actual  war 
conditions  were  also  Americans.  Several 
months  before  the  outbreak  of  the  Great  War 
flights  were  made  during  the  attack  on  Vera 
Cruz  when  two  hydroaeroplanes  from  the 
Government  Station  at  Pensacola,  Florida, 
accompanied  the  battleship  Mississippi. 
The  American  officers  flew  over  the  territory 
occupied  by  the  Mexicans  for  upwards  of 
twenty  miles,  bringing  back  valuable  infor- 
mation as  to  the  position  of  the  enemy.  The 
amazing  development  of  the  fighting  air 
craft  in  the  European  War  has  left  the 
United  States  far  behind  as  to  numbers,  but 
the  genius  which  gave  the  first  aeroplane  to 
the  world  has  merely  lain  dormant,  and  is 
doubtless  capable  of  making  America,  if  the 
need  arises,  the  first  air  power. 

A  complete  system  of  aerial  coast  defense 

in  America  was  planned  in  detail  by  Rear 

Admiral   Robert   E.   Peary  early   in    1915. 

While  to  the  lay  mind  some  of  his  sugges- 

223 


THE  AIR  MAN 

tions  appeared  at  the  time  somewhat  ad- 
vanced, the  development  of  aviation  had  con- 
firmed the  wisdom  and  far-sightedness  of  his 
advice.  At  that  date  no  submarine  had 
crossed  the  Atlantic,  nor  was  such  a  journey 
considered  by  most  people  within  the  range 
of  possibilities.  Admiral  Peary's  plan  was 
in  brief  to  establish  an  aerial  patrol,  compris- 
ing a  chain  of  aviation  stations  at  intervals 
of  fifty  or  one  hundred  miles  along  our  entire 
coast  line.  To  quote  the  admiral's  own 
words : 

"The  seaplanes  of  the  coast  patrol  will 
furnish  one  of  the  most  effective  antidotes 
for  the  submarine.  The  patrol  is  to  provide 
a  continuous  picket  line  of  seaplanes  or  fly- 
ing boats  fifty  miles  or  more  off  shore,  round 
our  entire  coasts  from  Eastport,  Me.,  to 
Brownsville,  Tex.,  and  from  San  Diego, 
Cal.,  to  Cape  Flattery,  Wash.,  each  machine 
traveling  back  and  forth,  back  and  forth 
over  its  section  or  beat,  a  winged  sentinel 
forming  a  cordon,  a  continuous  line  of 
whirring  shuttles,  weaving  a  blanket  of  pro- 
tection around  the  country. 

"The  idea  is  to  divide  our  entire  coast 
224 


AMERICAN  AIR  FORCES 

lines  into  sections  of  convenient  length. 
Each  of  these  sections  and  stations  will  be 
equipped  with  four  seaplanes.  Each  of 
these  machines  will  carry  a  driver  and  an  ob- 
server and  be  equipped  with  light  wireless 
apparatus,  powerful  glasses  and  a  sensitive 
microphone. 

"When  in  active  operation  these  seaplanes 
in  each  section  will  take  their  position  some 
fifty  or  a  hundred  miles  off  shore  and  patrol 
their  respective  beats  continuously  back  and 
forth,  in  clear  weather  2000  feet  or  more 
above  the  sea,  from  which  altitude  ships  fifty 
miles  distant  may  be  seen.  At  night  or  in 
the  fog  the  seaplanes  would,  of  course,  sweep 
much  lower,  at  all  times  themselves  invisible 
to  an  enemy. 

"By  means  of  the  wireless  information  as 
to  the  character,  number  and  apparent  des- 
tination of  approaching  ships  will  be  trans- 
mitted to  the  shore  station  and  from  there  to 
Washington.  Let  us  imagine  it  is  war. 
This  advance  notice  of  the  approach  of  the 
enemy  is  the  first  step.  In  modern  warfare 
hours  and  even  minutes  may  spell  victory. 

"The  enemy  is  still  unaware  that  his  aj> 
225 


THE  AIR  MAN 

proach  is  known,  for  the  sentinel  seaplane 
was  invisible  to  him.  With  the  next  step  a 
cloud  of  scout  seaplanes  sweep  out  in  such 
numbers  as  to  overwhelm  and  destroy  the 
enemy's  aeroplanes,  leaving  him  blinded. 
Then  follow  the  squadrons  of  great  battle 
triplanes,  each  machine  carrying  several  tons 
of  high  explosives  to  drop  upon  the  hos- 
tile fleet."  Admiral  Peary  estimates  that  no 
less  than  2000  hydroaeroplanes  are  needed 
on  each  coast  to  make  such  a  patrol  effec- 
tive. 

There  is  scarcely  any  limit  to-day  to  the 
effective  range  of  aeroplane  attacks.  The 
seaplane  carriers  or  mother  ships  enable  avi- 
ators to  rise  from  an  invading  fleet,  and  after 
making  their  raids  return  to  these  bases. 
The  submarine  may  also  become  a  seaplane 
carrier.  There  are  several  forms  of  aero- 
planes with  folding  wings  which  could  read- 
ily be  accommodated  aboard  these  under-sea 
craft.  Within  a  few  months  the  United 
States  has  suddenly  awakened  to  this  new 
danger.  An  invading  fleet,  for  instance, 
could  readily  assemble  a  few  miles  off  our 
coasts,  well  out  of  range  of  any  land  bat- 
226 


AMERICAN  AIR  FORCES 

teries,  and  send  powerful  raiding  fleets  to 
attack  our  cities. 

To  prepare  for  any  possible  attack  three 
classes  of  anti-aircraft  defense  are  possible. 
The  first  line  of  defense  would  be  the  so- 
called  flying  defenses,  comprising  fast  ar- 
mored fighting  seaplanes  and  armed  dirigi- 
bles held  in  instant  readiness  to  fly  far  out 
to  shoot  down  or  drive  away  all  hostile  air 
craft.  A  second  line  of  defense  will  con- 
sist of  batteries  of  anti-aircraft  guns  manned 
by  trained  gunners  stationed  well  out  to  sea 
along  the  shore  line.  A  great  fleet  of  swift 
motorboats  with  anti-aircraft  guns  will 
meanwhile  patrol  the  coast.  The  third  line 
will  consist  of  formidable  batteries  of  anti- 
aircraft guns  with  searchlights  and  "listen- 
ing towers."  The  stationary  as  well  as  float- 
ing and  flying  batteries  would,  of  course,  be 
linked  together  by  wireless  that  they  may 
work  effectively  together. 

The  first  demonstration  of  the  value  of 
the  aerial  coast  patrol  was  given  in  the  fall 
of  1916  during  a  theoretical  attack  on  New 
York.  A  "Mosquito"  fleet  of  fast  power 
boats,  aided  by  an  air  scout,  engaged  in  a 
227 


THE  AIR  MAN 

week's  manoeuvers  to  work  out  the  tactical 
problem  of  the  defense  of  the  harbor.  The 
air  men  encountered  the  worst  storms  of  the 
season,  which  drove  all  ordinary  craft  to 
shelter,  but  their  observations  nevertheless 
turned  the  tide  of  "battle,"  and  the  "hostile" 
fleet  was  repulsed.  Early  one  morning  the 
torpedo  boats  Flusser  and  Warrington  left 
New  York,  and  after  running  rapidly  down 
the  coast  for  sixty  miles,  returned  in  the  role 
of  a  hostile  squadron  bent  on  attack.  The 
Flusser  led,  concealing  the  main  fleet,  rep- 
resented by  the  Warrington,  with  a  screen  of 
smoke.  A  flying  boat,  accompanied  by  a 
fast  launch,  the  Dodger  II,  acting  as  mother 
ship,  was  detailed  to  scout  along  the  coast 
and  sight  the  "enemy"  at  the  earliest  possible 
moment,  and  signal  her  base  of  its  approach. 
The  air  scout  had  scarcely  reached  the 
open  sea  when  it  ran  into  a  thunder  storm, 
which  proved  to  be  the  worst  of  the  season. 
The  aeroplane  was  soon  lost  in  the  dark 
cloud  bank,  while  the  mother  boat  was  driven 
back  to  shelter  in  New  York  Bay.  After 
waiting  for  some  time  the  return  of  the  air 
boat,  the  Dodger  became  alarmed,  and  hur- 
228 


AMERICAN  AIR  FORCES 

ried  out  to  sea.  The  alarm  was  also  wire- 
lessed to  the  New  Jersey,  the  flagship  of  the 
squadron,  and  to  the  destroyers  in  the  vi- 
cinity. Late  in  the  afternoon  the  Atlantic 
Yacht  Club  received  a  telephone  message 
from  a  life  guard  at  Quogue,  Long  Island, 
fifty  miles  up  the  coast,  that  the  air  pilots 
had  telephoned  him  from  Oak  Island,  near 
by,  where  they  had  been  driven  by  the  storm. 
The  aircraft  had  kept  pluckily  to  its  task  in 
the  face  of  a  gale  which  tossed  it  about  like 
a  chip.  By  mounting  to  a  considerable  alti- 
tude it  escaped  the  worst  of  the  wind  and 
managed  to  weather  the  gale.  It  had  not 
retreated,  however,  until  the  "enemy"  had 
been  sighted,  whose  position  they  were  able 
to  report.  The  flight  of  sixty  miles  had  been 
made  in  less  than  fifty  minutes.  When  the 
report  reached  the  flagship  of  the  fleet  the 
commander  wigwagged  back,  "Well  done." 
Scouting  aeroplanes  have  already  been 
used  in  America  for  hunting  submarines, 
and  have  given  an  excellent  account  of  them- 
selves. An  alarm  was  sent  out  from 
Quogue,  Long  Island,  on  March  26,  1917, 
that  two  U-boats  were  believed  to  be  off  the 
229 


THE  AIR  MAN 

Long  Island  coast.  The  record  of  the  £7-53 
was  still  fresh  in  the  public  mind  and  the 
aeronautic  authorities  at  Washington  took 
steps  without  delay  to  prove  the  truth  of  the 
report.  On  the  following  morning  four  ci- 
vilian air  men  rose  from  the  field  at  Mineola 
on  this  difficult  detail.  They  were  ordered 
to  patrol  the  Long  Island  coast  from  Oyster 
Bay  to  Montauk  Point,  while  air  men  from 
the  Aerial  Reserve  Squadron  at  Governors 
Island  watched  the  shore  from  New  York 
to  Oyster  Bay. 

A  forty-mile-an-hour  gale  was  blowing 
and  considerable  rain  and  fog  was  encoun- 
tered, rendering  the  search  extremely  diffi- 
cult. The  aeroplanes  flew  out  to  sea  from 
five  to  eleven  miles,  besides  thoroughly 
searching  the  innumerable  bays  and  inlets 
along  the  extended  shore  line.  All  vessels 
observed  were  plotted  and  the  compass  direc- 
tions and  time  of  location  were  recorded. 
One  of  the  aeroplanes  flew  124  miles  in  a 
driving  rain  storm.  The  machines  did  not 
carry  wireless  apparatus,  but  a  cruiser  and 
other  vessels  could  have  been  summoned  in 
short  order  if  needed.  No  submarines  were 
230 


AMERICAN  AIR  FORCES 

discovered,  but  the  efficiency  of  the  aircraft 
for  scouting  purposes  was  clearly  established, 
and  the  naval  authorities  announced  later 
their  gratification  at  the  promptness  and  effi- 
ciency of  the  work. 

The  first  encounter  of  air  fleets  above 
American  soil  occurred  in  March,  1917.  It 
was  a  sham  battle,  to  be  sure,  but  the  attack 
and  defense  was  planned  by  military  experts 
to  offer  the  severest  possible  test  of  the  air- 
manship and  fighting  qualities  of  our  army 
pilots.  An  invading  squadron  of  three 
"armed"  scouting  aeroplanes  was  detailed 
to  dash  in  from  the  sea  and  Long  Island 
Sound  and  attack  the  United  States  Signal 
Corps  Aviation  Station  at  Mineola.  The 
"enemy"  planned  to  take  photographs  of  the 
headquarters,  and  drop  "bombs"  upon  its 
hangars,  barracks,  machine  shops,  and  gaso- 
lene storehouses.  One  of  these  scouting 
planes  attempted  to  cut  through  the  aerial 
blockade  from  Oyster  Bay,  a  second  from 
the  opposite  direction,  and  a  third  from  any 
point  which  promised  an  opening.  The  de- 
fensive air  squadron  comprised  thirteen  aero- 
planes, each  of  which  was  assigned  to  defend 
233 


THE  AIR  MAN 

a  certain  section  at  all  altitudes.  The  terri- 
tory defended  comprised  ten  square  miles. 

Profiting  by  the  experience  of  the  air  fleets 
in  the  European  War,  the  pilots  carried  aloft 
detailed  maps  and  charts  on  which  were 
marked  the  position  of  church  spires,  mil- 
lionaires' homes,  and  the  buildings  of  the 
towns  in  the  territory  to  be  attacked  and  de- 
fended. The  ground  was  covered  with  snow 
and  the  temperature  at  the  higher  altitudes 
was  near  zero,  while  a  high  wind  tested  the 
staying  qualities  of  the  army  air  men.  The 
"battle"  lasted  for  three  hours.  Most  of  the 
flying  was  done  at  speed  exceeding  one  hun- 
dred miles  an  hour.  The  defending  fleet 
succeeded  in  holding  their  air  position  de- 
spite all  attacks.  The  "enemy"  finally 
sought  to  elude  the  defense  by  climbing  to  an 
altitude  of  more  than  a  mile,  but  the  de- 
fenders pluckily  chased  them  away  from  the 
higher  positions  and  won  the  engagement. 

The  army  aero  squadrons  are  frequently 
sent  aloft  to  search  for  "enemies"  who  are 
theoretically  hiding  or  making  their  way 
guardedly  across  country.  Some  seventeen 
aeroplanes  were  ordered  aloft  one  day  near 
234 


AMERICAN  AIR  FORCES 

New  York  to  discover  an  enemy  combat  pa- 
trol using  automobiles,  which  was  reported 
to  be  making  its  way  across  country  from 
the  coast,  heading  towards  the  aviation  field 
at  Mineola.  The  enemy,  of  course,  sought 
to  conceal  itself  by  traversing  roads  where 
the  trees  and  vegetation  offered  concealment, 
and  by  running  at  top  speed  when  in  an  ex- 
posed position  in  the  open.  So  effective  was 
the  scouting  work  that  eight  of  the  pilots  dis- 
covered the  automobiles  and  kept  them  in 
sight  until  they  reached  the  gates  of  the  avi- 
ation field.  At  one  point  several  miles  from 
Mineola  the  cars  were  halted  by  a  local  po- 
liceman and  warned  against  speeding,  and 
even  this  detail  was  observed  by  two  of  the 
pilots,  who  included  it  in  their  official  reports. 
Another  test  consists  in  having  an  aviator 
fly  for  a  considerable  distance,  land,  and 
hide  his  machine  wrhile  a  squadron  of  air 
pilots  is  sent  out  to  search  for  him.  The 
machines  are  painted  a  color  which  will  blend 
with  the  earth,  so  that  it  was  practically  im- 
possible to  see  it  from  a  high  altitude. 

Our  aerial  defenses  have  been  strength- 
ened by  a  fleet  of  dirigible  balloons  which, 
235 


THE  AIR  MAN 

under  the  direction  of  the  Navy,  will  patrol 
the  coast  line  and  harbors.  Contracts  were 
awarded  on  March  12  to  four  American 
firms  for  the  construction  in  rush  time  of 
sixteen  balloons  of  the  non-rigid  type  to  be 
available  by  the  middle  of  June,  or  within 
120  days.  The  balloons  were  finished  in  90 
days,  and  have  given  a  good  account  of  them- 
selves. They  measure  160  feet  in  length, 
31  feet  in  diameter,  and  are  equipped  with 
100  horsepower  motors  capable  of  driving 
them  at  a  speed  of  forty-five  miles  an  hour 
for  sixteen  hours.  The  scouting  dirigibles 
operate  from  shore  bases  and  alight  on  the 
surface  of  the  water  in  good  weather. 

During  the  present  year  the  number  of 
Government  schools  for  training  aviators 
has  been  rapidly  increased.  Several  private 
training  schools  have  also  been  taken  over 
by  the  Government  so  that  at  present  air  men 
are  being  trained  in  all  parts  of  the  country. 
Schools  are  at  present  in  active  operation  at 
Mineola,  Long  Island;  Philadelphia;  San 
Antonio,  Texas;  Fort  Omaha,  Nebraska; 
San  Diego,  California ;  Columbus,  New  Mex- 
ico ;  Ashburn  Field,  Chicago ;  Newport  News, 
236 


AMERICAN  AIR  FORCES 

Virginia ;  Pensacola,  Florida ;  Essington, 
Pennsylvania ;  Wilmington,  Delaware ; 
Squatum,  Massachusetts;  Miami,  Florida; 
Lake  Worth;  Palm  Beach,  Florida;  New- 
port, Rhode  Island,  and  Bayshore,  Long  Is- 
land. Several  other  schools  will  doubtless 
be  opened  in  the  near  future.  The  amazing 
popularity  of  flying  is  attested  by  the  fact 
that  over  30,000  American  youths  have  re- 
cently made  application  to  enter  the  service. 
Special  aviation  corps  have  been  organized 
in  many  colleges  and  universities  throughout 
the  country.  At  the  present  rate  of  training 
there  will  soon  be  several  thousand  skilled 
pilots  in  the  various  colleges  who  will  be 
available  in  case  of  need.  Special  provision 
has  been  made  by  the  Army  for  examining 
these  "student  flyers"  and  transferring  them 
if  needs  be  to  the  Naval  Reserve  Flying 
Corps. 

A  bill  was  presented  in  Congress  early  in 
1916  to  create  a  Department  of  Aviation, 
whose  secretary  should  occupy  a  seat  in  the 
President's  cabinet.  According  to  the  plan 
the  new  department  comprises  a  Secretary, 
an  assistant  secretary,  and  the  necessary  cen- 
239 


THE  AIR  MAN 

tral  office  force  with  bureaus  devoted  to  land 
operations,  naval  operations,  signal  corps, 
constructions,  aeronautical  research,  motor 
power,  learning,  and  personal  accounts. 
Early  in  the  year  1917  the  Government 
planned  to  expend  about  $200,000,000  for 
aeronautical  defense.  Of  this  sum  $43,000,- 
ooo  was  made  available  for  army  aeronau- 
tics, $11,000,000  for  naval  aeronautics, 
about  $1,000,000  for  anti-aircraft  guns,  and 
$1,640,000  for  aircraft  ammunition. 

Early  in  the  summer  of  1917  a  great  wave 
of  enthusiasm  for  the  development  of  Amer- 
ican air  forces  swept  the  country.  It  was 
pointed  out  by  military  experts  that  the 
road  through  the  air  to  the  enemies'  strong- 
holds was  practically  unguarded.  The  ex- 
pense of  organizing  a  great  air  fleet  seems 
trifling  compared  with  the  cost  of  armies  and 
navies.  Such  air  fleets  could  be  assembled 
in  a  few  weeks  against  the  months  or  years 
required  for  the  building  of  navies  or  the 
drilling  of  armies.  At  the  present  writing 
a  great  air  force  of  no  less  than  100,000  air 
men  is  demanded,  and  an  appropriation  of 
$1,000,000,000  to  call  it  into  being.  The 
240 


AMERICAN  AIR  FORCES 

brilliant  record  of  American  air  men  with 
the  European  armies  and  in  Mexico  has 
shown  the  world  that  no  country  may  recruit 
men  for  this  exacting  service  in  such  num- 
bers with  a  greater  natural  genius  for  me- 
chanics or  a  higher  spirit. 

THE   END 


241 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below, 
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Tel.  No.  642-3405 

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Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


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